Straight from the opening shot, a lingering view of Joaquin Phoenix’s character Freddie Quell, you have the feeling this film is going to be special. It might be because it was the first movie shot on 65mm film since 1996, but at the start of the film I was blown away by what I was seeing. Beautifully framed shots and a perfect recreation of a time period around the second world war. There is a moment in a photo studio where you’d swear you are seeing archival footage or pictures of that times brought to life through some digital trickery. Those first couple of minutes had me hooked and I was prepared to join Freddie Quell, a struggling alcoholic, on his journey. It’s a shame then that at the end of the 144 minute running time I was lost. Continue reading →