Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts 2017

The cinematography feels like the landscape photography of Django Unchained (2012), but imagine those Western-like vistas filtered through the polished visual language of a Nescafé commercial. The dry terrain, warm tones, and carefully composed wides are beautiful, but there is also this almost advertisement-like cleanliness to the lighting and color palette. It makes the countryside look harsh and inviting at the same time, which is an interesting contrast considering how brutal the story can get. The pacing is slow. Lots of static long takes. The wide lens choices, framing, and lighting are great. It looks like a very well-thought-out indie film. Solid visuals, but the story feels underwhelming to me. I think the message is pretty clear: the struggle of being a woman in a world ruled by men. Rape, the failure of justice, sexual dissatisfaction, and unsupported pregnancy all become different expressions of the same imbalance.