Was Michelle wrong for watching this movie? Find out inside.
Sometimes I see a film that I would not necessarily
categorize as “good” but I still enjoy just the same. Wrong, Quentin Dupieux’s follow-up to the
weird but excellent film Rubber (a film about a sentient killer tire), is one
of those movies. Dupieux has a very
unconventional style and you definitely have to be in the right frame of mind
to sit through one of his works. He
likes to play with the audience’s notion of how a narrative should work and his
disdain for modern filmmaking is almost palpable in every scene. While I admire his creativity and
resourcefulness, this does not always make for a good film—interesting perhaps,
but not cohesive in any way.
The film follows the misadventures of man named Dolph (Jack
Plotnick) and his search for his missing dog.
On the surface, the plot sounds quite simple, but it quickly spirals
into one absurd situation after another with no rhyme or reason. Post-modern is the best way to describe it—a
completely deconstructed movie where the basic elements are there but presented
in the most surrealistic way possible. It can and does come off as pretentious and if your artsy-fartsy
tolerance is low you might find yourself turning it off halfway through. I wouldn’t fault anyone for doing so but
there are some cool things to be seen if you stick with it.
For what it’s worth, I couldn’t help but find the quirkiness
of all the characters endearing and found myself laughing heartily at all of
the dry-humor tinged conversations everyone had with each other. Because the plot is so random, the pacing
felt very off to me and it takes the film a good while to find its legs and get
going. On the plus side, Wrong is a
great looking film and the musical score has a neat pop-electronic vibe
reminiscent of the group The Postal Service. The acting is somewhat stilted at times but to be honest, I’m not sure
if it was intentional by the director or not.
I personally feel that Wrong isn’t a must-see film. I’m glad I watched it, because it presents
some interesting concepts and ideas but overall it’s just too weird for casual
viewing. If you enjoy high-concept films
and don’t mind a non-traditional narrative then it might be worth a look but
for most people, this film will be a disappointment.
-Review by Michelle Kisner