'Little Joe' plays in a botanical space that calls to mind a very select number of familiar sci-fi stories. That floral forwardness is taken in a slightly different direction here, and low-key as it is, it's unexpectedly spellbinding.
It takes quite awhile to go anywhere. The narrative flow feels altogether restrained until about halfway through, to the point where one could be forgiven for thinking the film bereft. The superb music of Teiji Ito in the soundtrack, minimalist and discordant, is the most immediately grabbing aspect for much of the picture. That said, it works wonders all by itself to raise tension and build the slowly mounting atmosphere.
As the plot gradually begins to advance, the effects cast by the flower bring to mind other renowned concepts, reminding of a few thrillers or horror films. Yet even events that should elicit the greatest reaction - and do, in comparable tales - are depicted here in such a way as to maintain the very flat, steady tone that's established from the beginning. And that's entirely deliberate, of course, matching the progression of blooming "Little Joe's" themselves.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I began watching, but ultimately I love 'Little Joe.' For the measure of comparison one can draw to other movies, in my mind there's enough here to set it apart, and to stand on its own merits. Along with the great set and production design, writer-director Jessica Hausner demonstrates a sense of aesthetics that lends itself handily to the memorability of the film. Interior shots generally depict settings awash in sharp colors: deep green in protagonist Alice's home; gentle red in her therapist's office; a warm reddish-purple in the controlled lab space where Little Joe grows; a stark white throughout the lab complex otherwise, complemented by instances of lush green. That variance in hue offers some of the most vibrant dynamics in a feature marked by interminable evenness in its approach.
Moreover, I'm very pleased with Hausner and co-writer Géraldine Bajard's screenplay that broaches botany, and Life in its most expansive meaning, from an angle not commonly or effectively explored in cinema. It's endlessly fascinating how plants in real life are able to communicate by the most rudimentary chemical means. Add to this the capability of various organisms - fungi, wasps, bacteria, and more - to manipulate prey, or hosts, and alter their behavior. Consider Toxoplasma gondii, the bacterium that can affect rodents' behavior around cats, and which studies suggest can almost imperceptibly change the behavior of infected humans. Lastly, to cheekily echo Dr. Ian Malcolm: "Life finds a way." The artificial lab setting and supposed genetic engineering of Little Joe precludes natural selection, yet it's easy to activate our suspension of disbelief to stride in step with the film's premise that Little Joe has collectively adapted to exceed the bounds of their narratively-defined constrictions - not unlike the evolution of an organism, over many generations, into new forms.
'Little Joe' mixes all these notions into an exceptional blossom, creating something familiar yet wholly new. It dips its toes into horror, and sci-fi, with the big ideas in the narrative - but does so with such an overwhelming, subdued caution and subtlety that these genres don't feel like they're meaningfully stitched into its craft. 'Little Joe' doesn't want to actively thrill, or frighten. It wants to creep under your skin, as slyly as it can. And it does.
I find no specific fault with this movie. I glance at other reviews and find myself mystified, wondering if other viewers were actually watching the same film, or engaging with it honestly. I understand that the soundtrack may be unwelcomingly jarring for an audience with sensitive ears, but just because a composition is unconventional certainly doesn't mean it's bad. To me, the selections from Teiji Ito's 'Watermill' are not just among the most noteworthy aspects of 'Little Joe,' but among the most outstanding - shrewdly digging claws into our senses to lend dark gravity to a picture that very purposefully suppresses it in the screenplay. His work has caught my imagination in a way that music has broadly failed to do recently, and now that I'm aware, I right away want find a copy of the 2008 CD release for my collection.
The acting, course of events, and even the climax are all consciously muted. The story plays with recognizable ideas we've seen before, and warps them into something distinguishably unique. The visuals presented through Hausner's camerawork, and the atypical soundtrack, are by design jolting, a harsh clash relative to the rest of the presentation. For all these reasons, 'Little Joe' won't appeal to every viewer, least of all anyone who is looking for a feature that's instantly, pointedly electrifying.
Yet for those who enjoy understated films, pictures that develop narrative with the most unhurried of paces - the kind to rather furtively slip into our mind - this is an intriguing and somewhat refreshing take on concepts that are frequently portrayed with titillation, if not outright bombast. I had mixed or uncertain expectations before watching 'Little Joe,' and ended my watch very pleased with the experience. High recommendation from me!
It takes quite awhile to go anywhere. The narrative flow feels altogether restrained until about halfway through, to the point where one could be forgiven for thinking the film bereft. The superb music of Teiji Ito in the soundtrack, minimalist and discordant, is the most immediately grabbing aspect for much of the picture. That said, it works wonders all by itself to raise tension and build the slowly mounting atmosphere.
As the plot gradually begins to advance, the effects cast by the flower bring to mind other renowned concepts, reminding of a few thrillers or horror films. Yet even events that should elicit the greatest reaction - and do, in comparable tales - are depicted here in such a way as to maintain the very flat, steady tone that's established from the beginning. And that's entirely deliberate, of course, matching the progression of blooming "Little Joe's" themselves.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I began watching, but ultimately I love 'Little Joe.' For the measure of comparison one can draw to other movies, in my mind there's enough here to set it apart, and to stand on its own merits. Along with the great set and production design, writer-director Jessica Hausner demonstrates a sense of aesthetics that lends itself handily to the memorability of the film. Interior shots generally depict settings awash in sharp colors: deep green in protagonist Alice's home; gentle red in her therapist's office; a warm reddish-purple in the controlled lab space where Little Joe grows; a stark white throughout the lab complex otherwise, complemented by instances of lush green. That variance in hue offers some of the most vibrant dynamics in a feature marked by interminable evenness in its approach.
Moreover, I'm very pleased with Hausner and co-writer Géraldine Bajard's screenplay that broaches botany, and Life in its most expansive meaning, from an angle not commonly or effectively explored in cinema. It's endlessly fascinating how plants in real life are able to communicate by the most rudimentary chemical means. Add to this the capability of various organisms - fungi, wasps, bacteria, and more - to manipulate prey, or hosts, and alter their behavior. Consider Toxoplasma gondii, the bacterium that can affect rodents' behavior around cats, and which studies suggest can almost imperceptibly change the behavior of infected humans. Lastly, to cheekily echo Dr. Ian Malcolm: "Life finds a way." The artificial lab setting and supposed genetic engineering of Little Joe precludes natural selection, yet it's easy to activate our suspension of disbelief to stride in step with the film's premise that Little Joe has collectively adapted to exceed the bounds of their narratively-defined constrictions - not unlike the evolution of an organism, over many generations, into new forms.
'Little Joe' mixes all these notions into an exceptional blossom, creating something familiar yet wholly new. It dips its toes into horror, and sci-fi, with the big ideas in the narrative - but does so with such an overwhelming, subdued caution and subtlety that these genres don't feel like they're meaningfully stitched into its craft. 'Little Joe' doesn't want to actively thrill, or frighten. It wants to creep under your skin, as slyly as it can. And it does.
I find no specific fault with this movie. I glance at other reviews and find myself mystified, wondering if other viewers were actually watching the same film, or engaging with it honestly. I understand that the soundtrack may be unwelcomingly jarring for an audience with sensitive ears, but just because a composition is unconventional certainly doesn't mean it's bad. To me, the selections from Teiji Ito's 'Watermill' are not just among the most noteworthy aspects of 'Little Joe,' but among the most outstanding - shrewdly digging claws into our senses to lend dark gravity to a picture that very purposefully suppresses it in the screenplay. His work has caught my imagination in a way that music has broadly failed to do recently, and now that I'm aware, I right away want find a copy of the 2008 CD release for my collection.
The acting, course of events, and even the climax are all consciously muted. The story plays with recognizable ideas we've seen before, and warps them into something distinguishably unique. The visuals presented through Hausner's camerawork, and the atypical soundtrack, are by design jolting, a harsh clash relative to the rest of the presentation. For all these reasons, 'Little Joe' won't appeal to every viewer, least of all anyone who is looking for a feature that's instantly, pointedly electrifying.
Yet for those who enjoy understated films, pictures that develop narrative with the most unhurried of paces - the kind to rather furtively slip into our mind - this is an intriguing and somewhat refreshing take on concepts that are frequently portrayed with titillation, if not outright bombast. I had mixed or uncertain expectations before watching 'Little Joe,' and ended my watch very pleased with the experience. High recommendation from me!