Bubble

Location: Home
Seen Before: No
Rating: 5.0

I knew this film deserved a high rating in Blog du Cinema, but I couldn't decide between a four and a five. When I popped in the dvd and looked through a couple of scenes to grab a screenshot for the entry, just seeing the images of the film (or video, rather) again immediately settled the score at a solid five. Digital video has never done it for me in terms of how it appears on screen, but Bubble really turns that around. The simply pristine quality coupled with how masterfully Steven Soderbergh frames these images truely lets you take in every aspect of what is unfolding in front of you. Take this style, mix it with the performances and top it off with the writing and you feel like you're in the midst of a documentary. Any audience member will be able to tell that they are watching non-professional actors, but what they have to keep in mind is how true (and heartbreakingly monotonous) the way these characters talk is. How many times have you worked with someone like this? I felt a genuine excitement while watching this as I never knew exactly where Soderbergh was going to take me; I just knew I wanted to go.
I did think about whether I felt unsatisfied by the conclusion of the film and, I suppose I do to a degree, but isn't Soderbergh being so much more truthfull to the types of characters and the enviorment encapsulating the story by not trying to twist and turn you in a classic Hitchcock or Clouzot way? Wouldn't that be copping-out in a sense; taking what has perhaps become the "expected unexpected route" (i.e. Million Dollar Baby)?
Soderbergh further solidifies that he is possibly the most diverse and interesting of contemporary filmmakers with Bubble, so sign me up for the five counterpart films he's following this up with--I don't want to wait.