SCORE: PERFECT - 5/5
Better with a second watch.
The most beautifully bizarre film I have ever watched. Punch-Drunk love is an emotional rollercoaster that will have you on the edge of your seat.
I genuinely thought that this film had some of the most beautiful shots I have ever seen in cinema. The lens flairs, the colors, the symbolism, this whole movie is just gorgeous in the way that it is shot and the way the story and characters progress.
Watching Barry slowly come out of his shell and grow as a person is truly mesmerizing in the way that it was shown. Despite all of his flaws, you can't help but root for him throughout the movie. He's such an incredibly well done character and Adam Sandler just knocked it out of the park with his performance in this film, his acting was absolutely top-notch and he played the role of Barry so hauntingly well.
Sandler has always been great at portraying outcasts and angry characters, but in this move it isn't played for laughs and it's a more serious portrayal of these issues. This is one of the things that makes it Sandler's best performance within a film, and it shows that when he wants to, he really can put on an amazingly dramatic performance.
The reason I think this movie is better with a second watch is because to me, it helped me to really focus on the symbolism within the film, it helped me to look at all of the small details and the true beauty of each shot instead of how I was just anxiously awaiting each outburst my first watch.
This movie is one of the most stressful things I have ever watched in the best way possible, I felt for Barry so much and found myself rooting for him all throughout the movie despite how flawed he may seem. The first time I watched this film, I was on the edge of my seat with anxiety as I wondered and worried about what was going to occur next.
During my second watch, I did find myself finding some of the humor throughout the sadness of the film. My first watch I didn't laugh at almost anything due to how immersed I was in wonder at how the story was unfolding, going into this movie completely spoiler-free was one of the best things I have ever done.
The role of color in this movie is something that makes it really stand out from the rest.
White and blue are strikingly bright colors used throughout the film, particularly Barry's blue suit that he is ridiculed and questioned for wearing by his sisters throughout the film.
Blue symbolizes isolation and loneliness which is why we see it so much near Barry, his suit, his office, it all just symbolizes how he is isolated and lonely, an issue that would later be solved throughout the film as he finds love.
This movie is a prime example on how you write a romance, the story isn't obvious, Barry gradually gets to know Lena, and it shows the anxiety and overcoming those scared feelings in such a vivid and touching way that is truly chilling to see when Barry has his outbursts and meltdowns.
A clashing color that's equally prominent is red.
Red symbolizes all of the positive and happy things in his life, love, and coming out of his shell.
A red car is seen in the car crash near the start of the movie, and a red taxi drops off the harmonium that plays an important role in the film and in Barry's character.
Lena wears a red dress, and the workers at the airport when Barry is going to Hawaii are also seen in red attire. This symbolizes his freedom and his love for Lena. Red is used for all of the positive things in Barry's life that start to become apparent throughout the film.
In the first shot of Barry in the grocery store, you can see a woman wearing red in the distance, this is before Lena, and it is a subtle act of foreshadowing that I noticed more in the second watch. Everything becomes even more apparent with multiple watches, and I truly do believe that this movie can be more appreciated with more than one watch or some reading in to all of the symbolism throughout.
I honestly never thought I would be able to watch this movie more than once, but I am so glad that I did. I found the story to be so beautiful yet so haunting, and so anxiety inducing. It made me not think of watching it again, but I found myself watching it again shortly after my first viewing just because of how much I really did enjoy it.
White is also used in this film as a more complex piece of symbolism.
White is more of Barry's physical state, it is when he is trapped in a situation. The white light is often seen engulfing Barry throughout each shot, and it is most prominent in the scene where he is running after being robbed and beat. Another example is the scene where he is running through the hallway and each doorway within it.
Two of the most gorgeous scenes in this whole movie (in my opinion) are the hallway scene I mentioned above and the kiss scene in Hawaii, where just their silhouettes are seen as they embrace as if no one is watching while people walk by and are seen in the distance.
The lens flairs in this film are breathtaking. They are normally seen as a mistake in other movies, but Paul Thomas Anderson used this tenue to capture the essence of love. The hand-holding scene and the kiss both had this flair seen within them.
There is so much more symbolism and beauty within this film that I could talk about, but I'll stop myself here so I don't spend all day on my first ever movie review.
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