But Mackenzie knows the truth always lies somewhere below the surface - for ourselves, for our world, and for the people populating his films - so he takes us beneath the surface without denying the existence of all of the more overt traits and flaws and scars. He has a knack for making even unsavory, unsympathetic characters seem relatable and relevant to his audience's own feelings and experiences, despite how dramatically different from us the characters appear on the surface. Indeed, the Oscar race just started in earnest as far as I'm concerned, because Hell or High Water instantly tops my list in several key categories, notably Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor (with two entries here, although arguably any of them might be considered a lead performance).ĭirector David Mackenzie's Starred Up demonstrated his immense talent at depicting realistic character-driven narratives in which the intimacy of personal relationships speak to larger themes of power dynamics, dominance, redemption, and the moral ambiguity that defines those aspects of our society. Hell or High Water is the best film of 2016 so far, joining The Nice Guys, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Zootopia, and Midnight Special on my list of the year's truly great emotional storytelling experiences - these are the pictures I wish I could hand an award or two immediately.
If you want artists to put forth this sort of effort, then put forth the effort to seek it out and reward the creation of such fare. It might actually take a little effort to find a theater screening the film this weekend, but if people aren't willing to search a little harder and drive a little farther, then all of the handwringing and complaints about sequels and remakes are meaningless. So viewers should put their money where their mouth is if they really want to see more fantastic original dramatic pictures. But this is exactly the sort of original, high-quality movie audiences and critics constantly insist they wish there were more of, and supporting such releases by paying to see them in theaters is the only way to prove the claims are more than just a bunch of lip-service devoid of substance. Whether that translates into enough audience demand, we shall see. With a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes thus far, the film continues to gain momentum from positive word of mouth and its unique combination of compelling genre entertainment and social relevance.
A low-budget production, Hell or High Water will open in 32 theaters nationwide this weekend, where it hopes word of mouth and critical acclaim will translate into high per-theater averages that help boost its box office potential.
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