Another Me : Review
'Another Me' is a psychological thriller starring Sophie Turner and Rhys Ifans. The movie provides chills, emotional heft, suspense and leaves viewers with a sense of un-known throughout.
A point first;
This movie did not receive the greatest of reviews. The movie currently sits at a 4.7/10 from IMDB, though to be honest I tend to ignore most online reviews and scores for movies either before or after I see them. As my reviews are always based on my interpretation of that movie, and this movie was definitely a good one in my books.
Pros
Sophie Turner. The young actress made her name for herself in the ever fantastic and thrilling 'Game of Thrones' series, and it is always great to see an actor that I love branch out and do a different project. Her character in this movie is the main focus point, and a large amount of the run time is with Sophie, which is not a bad thing at all. Firstly, she does provide a very grounded and strong performance. Secondly, you care greatly about her. As throughout the movie, the more and more her life begins to unravel. Thirdly, the chemistry between her and Rhys Ifans is brilliant. Fourthly, although it is not exactly relevant, but Sophie Turner is a gorgeous young woman, and it is a pleasure to watch her and grow as an actor.
Cinematography, direction and premise. This movie is a very niche type movie, to a fault possibly at times, but that will be discussed later. The premise proposes the unique idea that there is a double of ourselves out there in the world, replicating our, or in this case Fay's, life. This premise relies on the viewer to be patient with the story and pace, as with each scene, more or less, the plot and story is advanced, and is a story that does very well in drawing you in and wanting to see it to the end.
The movie is directed by Isabel Coixet and the cinematography is done by Jean-Claude Larrieu, and the two really help make this a great movie. There are several scenes where the cinematography is truly beautiful, with a great colour palette, angles, style and so on. Among this, there are also several scenes which create very affective tension and suspense, one scene in which Fay walks within her school to the teachers lounge, which ends up being one of the most edge of your seat scenes and is highly unnerving.
Rhys Ifans and the Score. Rhys Ifans character is a man with a troubled and dark past. No spoilers, but his character has been through a terrible time, and seeing him struggle to help his daughter, Fay, is one of the movies strong points. You feel for all of the main characters and hope that they end up with a positive ending. Sophie Turner and Rhys Ifans play off together magnificently, and again, is one the strong points of the movie. The score is also a worthy mention. The main song is 'You Haunt Me' by Lisa Hannigan, and the title of that song is certainly what it achieves. It is an eerie, dark and wonderful song, and compliments the movie unlike any other score that I can recall to be honest, it is that good. A final point, an odd one, is the end credits. They are magnificent, and something unlike I have seen in a long time. I would add, watch them. As it they summarise the movie wonderfully, Sophie Turner, the eerie score, direction and cinematography all come together (though they all do during the movie also) to end the movie wonderfully.
Cons
Narrative and thread. The movie does jump around a tad too much at time, causing the thread of the movie to sometimes seem a bit jumbled and confusing, additionally the script sometimes gets weak and those all lower the movie down which is unfortunate, but I will ague that the overarching premise, which is a bloody ambitious one for quite a small movie, makes these issues melt away, and become forgettable.
Sophie Turner. This is a hard one for me, as there are maybe two or three times where she does lack. However, this is due to the fact that she is a young actor who is still finding her feet in this world, and trust me, every time I see her, she gets better and better. There are some stand out performances by her, especially one scene at a swimming pool. These slightly weaker scenes are then completely overshadowed by the rest of her in the movie, however when you see them, it does lower the movie momentarily.
The ending. It is slightly confusing, and may leave some viewers irritated or just confused. The last 20 minutes or so really does require you to watch every frame, every second and pay attention to every single detail, which is a benefit and a drawback. I had to re-watch the ending two or three times to understand it, but when you do, it is one that really really really gets under your skin, especially the last frame of the movie. As it makes everything you have seen come together and raises your hairs on your arms, and I have to give credit to the movie for being ambitious and brave with its premise and ideas.
Conclusion
I loved this movie. All of its core elements combine together wonderfully to create a great psychological thriller, spearheaded by the sublime Sophie Turner. There are narrative and script issues, and some weak scenes by the actors and the ending can be confusing, but those issues are overshadowed by the overall movie and its ambition. It is a movie that trusts you to be patient, and pay attention to the details all the time, and I for one applaud it for doing so. I will be re-watching it soon and enjoy it all over again, and I urge you to check this movie out, because it deserves more praise than it got.
