Rating of
4/4
Engrossing
Franz Patrick - wrote on 06/02/08
I found this film engrossing because it deals with the psychology of the household, the media, and regular people. For me, this is not just about the child and the artwork she makes or does not make. The home videos were fascinating because it reveals a father who likes the spotlight and sometimes pushes his child to paint. It may look ugly sometimes because, personally, I feel like he shouldn't do it since she's too young to be pushed to into a world that she is not fully aware of yet. The brother, I feel like he does not get enough attention and that could lead to some problems when it comes to family dynamics in the long run. The mother, I cannot help but identify with because I felt like all she cares about is protecting her family from the seemingly friendly media that eventually turned into a monster (and back again). That raw maternal instinct she had is, I feel, the heart of the story. The director started filming this around 2003 or 2004. And by 2005 or 2006, the same maternal instinct lingered, from its successes to its failures, which provided some sort of a story arc. I don't know much about art; to be honest, I think some of the child's paintings are great and some not so great. But the one painting that stuck with me is the one with the man looking out the door and another man looking inside... then from the sky there's a baby looking down at the people. Again, I'm not a religious person, but that is so spiritual, it's hard to not be touched. The ending is so haunting to me because just when we think that all of our questions are answered, more questions arise. This is a deeply fascinating film and worth checking out.
