A Very Special Review: If you read only one review all year, let this be it: Never Look Away

Movie: Never Look Away
Nominated for: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography
How I watched: Laemmle
When I fell asleep: I cannot believe it, but I actually stayed awake the whole time
When it had me: A woman discovers all the truth of the universe in a piano key
When it lost me: The freeze frame ending...I know that's weird, but really, why?
What I have to say: Here's the deal. I think I'm pretty cool and adventurous because I often show up to these movies with no knowledge of what I am about to witness. The films show up on my list and otherwise I am thrilled to have them surprise me. The apparent downside to knowing nothing when you go in is that you have no warning that you have committed yourself to a THREE HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTE MOVIE. 

Oh! So THAT'S why it's called Never Look Away. You can't. I am pretty sure that I am still watching this movie. 

Now, don't take my shock for disappointment. It's a big deal for me to state that I didn't get bored by this epic tale. This German film was beautiful! The actors were beautiful! They all looked like American actors I knew, but better somehow. And they were good! The story spanned 30 years of German history from WWII and on. I learned things about the Nazis that I didn't want to know, I learned that neither the Nazi party nor the Soviet socialists were very supportive of artists, and I followed a mystery that was a real nail biter! There was tension, authenticity, high stakes and evolution.
They had me, other than I started to worry about how long I was going to be there, whether I had paid enough for parking, if I would miss dinner, etc. Did I mention it was a LONG movie? It was. 

When I left the movie, I was afraid that perhaps it had been so long that I slipped into a coma. I emerged onto a rainy Pasadena street to see a Zamboni go driving by. I'm not joking!!! This really happened and I was really concerned I had died or slipped into another timeline. Right after that I witnessed a car driving the wrong way on a one way street. It approached another car head on and then stopped, like a stand off. I just got out of there as fast as I could! I was waiting for the rain of frogs or something! Seriously, did watching this movie take up my whole life and change everything? I don't know if I can recommend it or not. I'm still confused...will everyone who sees it also see the Zamboni after? Am I still watching it now? Is it my pick for best cinematography? It might be. Why didn't I mind sitting there for that long? Are Zambonis even street legal? Where was it going? Am I glad I went to see Never Look Away? Well, I know that answer; yes, I really am glad I did.