Every year, there are a number of amazing films that just don't get the overall recognition they deserve. Maybe because they didn't have the PR spend of some of the bigger releases, but also the subject matter of those movies can be a shade too dark for the general public to get behind.
Think of the likes of Hereditary, or Annihilation, or First Reformed (which was just added to Now TV, by the way), all excellent movies, all overlooked by the box office and by the awards ceremonies.
Perhaps 2018's biggest example of that is You Were Never Really Here, which is essentially Taken if it were, eh, taken to the grimmest possible level.
It tells the story of a traumatised veteran (a mesmerising Joaquin Phoenix), unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, he finds his nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy that he accidentally uncovers may be leading to what may be his own death.
Written and directed by Lynne Ramsey (We Need To Talk About Kevin), the movie ended up on many film critics' Best Of 2018 lists, and once you see it, you'll understand why. Here are just a selection of some of the five-star reviews:
"It’s not an experience to relish, exactly, but it’s still one that’s fully capable of blowing you away." - The Telegraph
"The entire, whippet-lean film feels like an experiment in impressionist condensation, as though Ramsay is testing the limits of how little she can give us, and how weird it can be, while still delivering a recognisable revenge thriller." - The Playlist
"Over the years, Phoenix has given us some of the most memorable portraits of dark flawed men from Commodus to Johnny Cash. Here, he is excellent, utterly convincing as a man who has been hammered by the world and so has decided to hammer it back." - CineVue
"Ramsay elevates the material way beyond the conventional by sheer filmmaking craft." - Screen International
"Set against the high-tension strings and jarringly funky synthesizers of Greenwood’s score, the film is transformative and transfixing." - The Globe & The Mail
You Were Never Really Here premieres on FilmFour on Thursday 28 March at 9pm.
Clip via Amazon Studios
