So I saw the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus tonight. It was interesting. I'd read about it quite a bit before going, and I still wasn't really sure what to expect. What I got was unexpected.In the beginning, the whole thing feels like a farce. The characters act in ways I don't really get, which makes them hard to believe, and the whole timeless present-ness of it, mixed with everything else, made me uneasy more than anything else.
I don't want this to sound postured, but the thing does actually start to come together when Heath enters. The story seems to speed up a bit, but still, while there are some wonderful moments of characterization and art, in the end some of the characters feel more sketched than molded, and the girl (I can't think of her name for the life of me--I keep thinking Valentina, but I'm sure that's not right) comes off as shallow, one dimensional, and a little erratic.
Overall, I think a lot of things worked, but it didn't really feel complete. It was unsettling, which is far from a harsh criticism, but I'm not sure it was unsettling in the right way, and I'm left wishing I could see what the film would have been like if Heath hadn't left us midway through filming. I will most definitely see it again, and if you haven't seen it yet, you should do so ASAP, and tell me what you think.
