Bliss

Consider me pleasantly surprised.

I spent most of 'Bliss' entirely unsure of what to make of it. Usually it doesn't take long for me to begin to form an opinion; here I was flummoxed. Yet that seems to rather be the intent of the film-makers, as the very plot pointedly defies easy discernment. Is it a dream? A hallucination? A paranormal happening? A movie? An actual conspiracy? All of the above? The narrative is so consciously disordered that a fleeting moment relatively early on, suggesting the truth of the story, has to be taken with a grain of salt. Sequences inserted throughout, following characters other than the protagonist, seem wholly out of place and arbitrary. It's only within the very final stretch of the film that everything is made clear, and all the loose ends are tied together. And in so doing, I've been very much impressed. Despite every appearance to the contrary, this is a great, finely made film.

It's certainly not easily digestible. There's strong violence that includes sexual assault and abuse, and pervasive nudity; themes of deception, manipulation, exploitation, and psychological and emotional torment; and dialogue including instances of homophobia, and a long-running thread of sexism. More noteworthy still, the construction of the narrative employs editing that's sharp, fast, and jarring, and the purposeful obfuscation that keeps viewers guessing to some extent also makes it difficult to engage with the picture. I don't begrudge anyone who gives 'Bliss' an honest try and comes away disliking it.

Moreover, I have a tough time getting invested in stories that in any way play with the notion that the narrative isn't real. That said, this movie toys with that trope but ultimately goes its own way - I'm not sure when I last saw a film labeled as a "psychological thriller" that so fully embraced that concept. More than that, 'Bliss' is so jolting, impactful, and overall well done as to ameliorate what concerns I would otherwise have about the direction of its tale.

And looking past the hang-ups and complications, there's a lot to like about this movie. That the narrative is superficially so convoluted makes it challenging, but also rewarding. Set design and decoration in the dominant space is spartan, but only as befits the narrative; elsewhere, there's strong attention to detail. Hair, makeup, and effects are very carefully considered. Scenes are orchestrated well, and filmmaker Jerrold Terog arranges some especially fine shots, with swell use of lighting at times. The murky themes and prominent state of undress for some characters do not make this film exploitative itself; there's a sense of restraint to the camerawork in even the most lasciviously dubious scenes that keep the picture grounded.

Terog's screenplay feels somewhat rough around the edges, yet the narrative is solid as a whole: not acutely frightening or viscerally thrilling, but maintaining an ominous air of unease, and riveting. The characters he's written are a bit more hit or miss, as some seem a bit thin. Still, even when roles or performances initially fail to impress - as is true with the entire plot, that early notion belies an intention to how every aspect is built; I think especially of the part of Lilibeth, and actress Adrienne Vergara, both of whom come across as wooden until later on. Most significantly: The lead role of Jane Ciego broadly holds to a familiar horror characterization, with fear, terror, anger, confusion, disbelief, and uncertainty dominating the part. Yet within that conventional framework, there's just enough laxity for star Iza Calzado to demonstrate range, poise, and force of personality. It's a difficult balance, but she ably manages it.

I certainly won't sit here and say 'Bliss' is perfect, because it's not. There are some minor narrative inconsistencies that play at the edge of my mind, and the discrepancy in how characters are written is especially notable. While the overarching craft of the film is satisfying, it's also distinctly uneven in execution. Yet substantial labor went into letting 'Bliss' not just embody the "psychological thriller" genre, but to exemplify it. And there's much to be said for its success in this regard, however imperfect.

I entered with no special expectations, and was sufficiently perplexed by the build of the production that I couldn't pin down my feelings about it until the very end. But ultimately I'm truly pleased: this is very entertaining, and well worth watching. It may be a hard sell to general audiences with its atypical approach, or to any viewer that objects to strong violence, but otherwise I'd have no qualms in freely recommending 'Bliss.' Well done!