the first thing to be said is that is my opinion. take what you will from it. i noticed that many critics are claiming that this film in similar words : "is not worth it and that it could have been done better" well i have news to all of those people : do it! this film (punch-drunk love) is exceptional. i guess everyone was to busy eating popcorn and thinking of the previews and who they will go and see them with during the first 5 minutes of the film when the mood is set straight into your face; that you are to take what you want from this film and not have to wait for someone to tell it to you the way it is. basically pay attention to what you want to pay attention to.
north america seems to have been very negative towards this film, yet it was praised at cannes. do i need to remind certain people that david lynch was not given proper recognition (nominations do not count when they are given over and over and lose to awful films) except for 'wild at heart' at cannes? this film is not only for "film geeks" it is very much for everyone. the entire film is just a reflection of how we all are. crying for no reason (physically or mentally), taking chances (or dreaming of taking chances and not doing them when we should), smashing up bathrooms all the time (again : physically or mentally), scamming someone somehow and then when caught, deny and try to retaliate; a conscious decision to hurt one another. punch-drunk love is showing all of this and is not having to do this for the lowest common denominator. and we all know that there is nothing but films like that being "created" from hollywood. just look at the academy awards and the films it has been awarding instead of the films it has just been nominating.
instead of being negative on punch-drunk love and the other few films that take this path, we should support them so that very slowly and hopefully surely, more companies in hollywood will not have to conform to the studios format, and can still, with large enough budgets, cast that is not inexpensive and unknown, a plot written before the actual film is shot, keep making films that when end on the screen, the audience is not thinking of what they will see next and how certain previews before! the film look great. Instead take, at least, a moment and just try and feel the roots of what they just sat through.
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