It's the specificity in Sarah's character that I like so much about this film. She's sweet and awkward, but obviously nervous because of the emotional traumas she's experienced. Those specifics are a necessary part of the film's deft obfuscation of reality. Is it her psychosis that we're seeing or is she really being abducted?
I honestly think the time is trying to say why can't it be both. It's certainly saying that this is Sarah's truth, whatever we may think of it. Sometimes it's hard to have understanding of someone's struggle with mental health, but it doesn't mean we can't have compassion. I think that is ultimately what this is about. It's not about accepting or relating to Sarah's truth but having compassion for what she is experiencing.
Alison Brie is phenomenal, delivering a complex and rich performance which, as co-writer, doubtlessly is something she's been needing to get out. I won't say risky or brave, instead it's confident and self-aware.
I haven't been exceptionally pleased with any of Jeff Baena's films I've seen so far (Joshy, The Little Hours), but there's exceptional growth here as a filmmaker, if still a little clunkiness that I'm sure increased budgets and more technical experience will smooth out.
It's a twisty, mysterious, boggling and beautiful film, resting somewhere between mumblecore drama and retro-90's thriller, but certainly not everyone's cup of tea. Sort of the trippy, experimental 80's sci-fi vibe if not quite as beholden to aesthetic as, say, Beyond The Black Rainbow or Under The Skin.
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