review: Don't Look Now

nicolas roeg paints every frame in "Don't Look Now" with a sense of dread. venice has never looked lonelier or depressing than this. on every corner, every turn of the canals, there is gloom and apprehension, shattered only by flashes of red to cue in the terror. the camerawork adds to the chilling aspect of the film. it zooms in viciously, circles around almost carelessly, and it gives no breathing room for the actors and actresses of the film. it creates a claustrophobic feel that few have succeeded in doing.

the performances are excellent. donald sutherland embodies his role with the proper amount of grief, joy and denial. i would call this one of the most realistic performances ever. alongside him is the beautiful julie christie. she adds warmth to the the film but at the same time, a creepy quality that only she could pull off. there is innocence in her actions and words that give an almost eerie quality when placed in the context of a dark and gloomy venice. one of the most famous love scenes ever captured in film is here. raw, passionate and beautiful. the genius in this scene is how it is intercut with scenes of them dressing up. it is a revelation and at once a retreat into consciousness. it gives off something and hides at the same time. never have i seen such pure emotion in a sex scene before.

the plot involves a couple who meets two sisters. one of them is blind and is psychic. she claims to have seen their dead daughter with them as they dined in a cafe. their daughter, it would seem, warns them of danger, saying they should leave venice at once. couple this with joe baxter (donald sutherland), seeing a figure in a red raincoat, just like her daughter, running around venice, seemingly stalking him. could this be the phantom of her dead daughter? also, there seems to be a series of murders occuring in venice, bodies are dragged out of the canals. are all these events related?

i would leave it up to you find out. but like all great horror, the ending doesn't aim to tie up loose ends to the plot, or provide an explanation for everything. the fear that it aims to impart to the audience is not mere fright and surprise. it settles in the mind like moss, unable to forget the images that we saw. it burns holes in the imagination, expanding it towards more fright, until you fear all dark corners, tounge-sticking gargoyles and of course, red raincoats.