Inception, Tenet and The Roads Not Taken

 

I waited a couple of weeks after the cinemas re-opened to see Inception. It was the tenth anniversary edition and although I had also seen it on TV, it was worth another look on Cineworld's Superscreen. I was the only one there that afternoon. This is what I said about it in August 2010:

Inception is one of the two best movies I have seen this year, probably not quite up to the standard of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo but brilliant nonetheless. All the reviews are about how complicated the action becomes, but I dont think that I had to concentrate that hard to understand what was going on. Yes, there are layers within layers, but Christopher Nolan wants us to be there with him as the story unfolds. His direction is absolutely spot on, and is helped by a decent enough script great sound, music and cinematography.

One interesting thing happened. Over halfway through the movie I felt the odd drip of water come down from the ceiling. I thought it must be condensation as it was 32C when I arrived at the cinema. However, when I left, I found that it was a leak was caused by the extremely heavy rain that had flooded the roads while I was inside, and the temperature had sunk more than ten degrees.

I wish I had read the plot of Tenet before going to see it. There was far too much confusion in the story to make any sense, so I never became engaged in the experience. There were some exciting action sequences, but even these were spoilt by being totally bewildered by what was going on. I'm not sure if Christopher Nolan wants you to see it a few times, but I'm in no rush. I have read reviews and plot discussions since, and I am still hardly any the wiser. Such a big disappointment.

If you want to watch an uplifting film in these strange days, avoid The Roads Not Taken at any cost. A study of a man suffering from heavy dementia and the toll it takes on his daughter over one day. So not a lot of fun. The acting is extremely good, Javier Bardem and Elle Fanning are excellent and a cameo from Laura Linney was perfect. Well written and directed by Sally Potter, she is to be congratulated for tackling a a subject that would never attract a big audience. But they would miss some beautifully shot locations and an unforgettable story.