A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

FILM REVIEW: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

SS: 7/10 A heartwarming story, could be better without experimental tries.

© Sony Pictures Entertainment

I wanted to watch this film for a long time, the rate of screening of this film where I am living is pitifully low. After all, it’s quite reasonable, I doubt anyone here has ever heard this legendary American TV host Fred Rogers, not to mention want to saw a film about him. It’s a nice film, with fine directing and writing, the performance, given by Tom Hanks who portrays Fred is wonderful.

I don’t think I need to use too many words on how good Tom is, but I do need words to praise the experimental touch that this film wants to manage. The whole film’s main conflict is the relationship between Lloyd and Jerry, with the interview goes deeper, Fred’s interfere solved the problem in Vogel’s family. What I said is very experimental is that audience not only witness the journey of Lloyd’s interview but also join in this journey. Fred’s therapy not only on Lloyd, but the film also broke the fourth wall, when Fred’s eyes look directly into the camera with the one minute pause. It is like hypnotist’s final snap, finalised the treatment.

© Sony Pictures Entertainment

But this might be too experimental, and the storytelling does not cooperate with it too well. Until the middle of the film, we finally found out the reason caused the conflict. So from the beginning till then, the audience is hard to let them in this story, to understand the inner thought on both sides. This weakens the motivation behind characters and leaving us in confusion for a quite long time.

Then there is something I don’t understand, why when Lloyd showed up in the studio is exactly as Fred’s expected. Well, hope someone could help me out on this one.

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