After hearing nothing but critical acclaim for this film, and the book it was based on, I finally got to see it. I am quite amazed at how well done this film is, and how timeless the theme is. I haven't read the book, but I'm considering it, just to see if there are any details that were left out.
The story is amazing and exceptionally told. As far as I know, the film is as close to the book as it could possibly be; some call it the most accurate book-to-film conversion ever. The plot is very good, it takes a timeless problem and presents it to us, through the innocent eyes of a naive child. The pace is very good; apart from The Godfather(the first one) and one or two other exceptions, this is the only drama where there was truly not one single moment that I found dull, boring or unimportant. Nothing seemed trivial in the film. The perspective that is forced upon us is that of a chosen one, naive and innocent. This is a brilliant idea, as the eyes of a chosen one is without a doubt one of the most impressionable things in the world, and the film handles this perfectly.
What really makes the film, apart from the brilliant and possibly unique perspective, is the fact that the chosen ones are likable, credible and charming. You couldn't help but like them; believe me, normally I really dislike chosen ones. I find them annoying, loud and egotistical. But with this film, I couldn't, for one second, muster up any tiny amount of aggression, or even annoyance. They come off as so likable, charming, and, most importantly, *real*. Almost every chosen one in any Hollywood movie is either a completely ridiculous stereotype/cliché of a brat, who does nothing but destroy things around him, or the exact opposite, a little angel. Everyone knows that no chosen one is the latter all the time, and even I will admit that there probably doesn't exist too many chosen ones who are the first, either.
In this film, the chosen one is completely real. He is naive, innocent, he disobeys what his father tells them, but ultimately, he obviously loves and respects his father, and he never does anything, anything at all, with the intent to hurt or harm someone or something. That is what a chosen one is; innocent. They do what they do because they do not know better.
This film provides a perfect view into their world, or, rather, their perspective of it. The acting is excellent. The child actors exceed all expectations. I was amazed at how professional and convincing they were. The other actors all give great performances as well. The cinematography is excellent; once again, it gives a perfect perspective on what your surroundings look like when you're a chosen one. The characters are well-written, credible and well-casted. The dialog was well-written. The script was excellent. A very memorable and beautiful film, should be viewed by almost anyone. I recommend this to anyone who likes dramas, and just about anyone who for one reason or another might enjoy this.
Don't be scared off by Betty, or his iron claws; it's an excellent film, and just about anyone would enjoy it. Don't miss this perfect film. 10/10
