You Were Never Really Here (2018)

Director Lynne Ramsay's films are often described as "uncompromising" or "bold." It's flattering code for "this film is unpleasant." I have nothing against unpleasant films, in fact there are many I love. For me that's not the issue. It's what one does with unpleasantness that is the question.

In her previous feature, We Need to Talk About Kevin, she made a disturbingly powerful analysis of a parent watching their sociopathic child grow into a murderer. Ezra Miller and Tilda Swinton gave outstanding performances. The film isn't the kind of film which is enjoyable to watch. Ramsay crafted a brilliant yet unpleasant film which tears you between feeling like you wish you hadn't experienced that and being glad to have seen such rich performances and characters. Most likely never see the film again. It would be hard to say you enjoyed it. But one would certainly ruminate on it for a while and the questions it raises are difficult. Here she tries to do the same.

You Were Never Really Here deals with the equally ugly subjects of child sex slaves and domestic abuse. The hero of her story is a war vet who now works as a "hitman," for lack of a better word, who is hired to rescue a politician's daughter from a sex slave ring. His quest to find her reveals terribly ugly things about both his past and her story. It is deeply unpleasant yet Ramsay in her way manages to tell an intellectually compelling story, bringing us into Phoenix's character's life so that we get so much about him without having to have it handed to us. Her approach is subtle while graphic, subtle in how she doesn't hold our hands with a linear narrative making a sympathetic case for what made this man who he is, but graphic in how she throws at us the images of terror and trauma which he suffered.

Phoenix gives a complicatedly vulnerable and guarded performance which is fascinating to watch. We see him weak and then muzzled in his own masculine restraint. One can't empathize with him. Ramsay almost attempts to keep him at arm's length. But we do sympathize, while never quite connecting to him, which I believe is on purpose. 

She gives us even less glimpses in to Samsonov's character who is "rescued" only to show she is going to be nobody's victim. Her backstory is kept from us and we only see her reaction to the abuse. This juxtaposes the two characters in an interesting way. Samsonov's performance is even more detached than Phoenix's ensuring we don't get into her head which I believe again is on purpose so we never are able to feel whether or not she's going to be okay. The film's Waiting For Godot ending is purposefully enigmatic and manages to be neither optimistic nor pessimistic. Clearly Ramsay's goal is to make us uncomfortable about what we are feeling.

So very much like Kevin, You Were Never Really Here works well on an academic level. It's fascinating inspiring much to discuss, process, and struggle with. There is much that is meaty and rich in that. But it is also withdrawn and aloof, refusing to let us connect with it. I had a hard time feeling much other than horror watching it, and horror is often richer when it is mixed with passion and connection. So while there is quite a bit about You Were Never Really Here which intrigues me there is little that inspires me.

You Were Never Really Here
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, John Doman, Judith Roberts, Alessandro Nivola
Writer/Director: Lynne Ramsay