Finding Ophelia Review
Finding Ophelia is a 2020 experimental feature film written, directed, and produced by Stephen Rutterford.
What does it mean to dream? Not just to fall asleep on your bed at night, but to truly dream. In Finding Ophelia we are asked this very question throughout. The idea of dreams within dreams while an old one, takes on a new perspective here. Is being awake chasing a vision, a beacon of what you desire truly a state of consciousness or is it itself another layer of the dreams in which we inhabit.
On one hand a gorgeous visual splendor while on the other a story of ambition Finding Ophelia straddles the fine line between experimentation and narration. It finds a happy medium leading us through hypnotic and sometimes disturbing imagery to find the answers we seek. The layers of deep visualizations at first pull us in but this is not just experimentation for the sake of trying something new it is at its core providing a lesson to take away from it.
Throughout the film I saw flashes of Wong Kar-Wai, Tom Tykwer with Run Lola Run, so many influences sprinkled throughout, and it all came together in a beautiful way. Anyone out there looking for a straightforward story will surely be disappointed, but this is not a film for the average viewer, this is a layered piece. It has moments of comedy, moments of horror, moments of drama. It looks at the whole of what film can do, giving us glimpses of these different genres. Yet it does not feel disjointed. We feel pulled into Will’s plight, his ever-growing journey to find Ophelia.
Again, I circle back to the idea of dreams because the message of this film to me stands at not all dreams are created equal. Sometimes we want to become something or strive to accomplish something only for it to be less than what we hoped. Other times we destroy ourselves to try to achieve it. We become consumed and what happens to us because of it may make us less than what we were before.
This is a beautifully made film with a lot of care and heart that shines throughout. It is an approachable yet experimental piece with a deep soul to it. It is one that I recommend sitting down to. Rutterford has a good eye for visuals, and I think he created something unique with a deep soul to it all.
To follow on social media: Facebook, Director Instagram, Film Instagram, Twitter, IMDB, Film Website, and Production Company Website.
The film will be released this summer.
Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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