Movie Review: You Were Never Really Here

We haven’t seen Joaquin Phoenix for a while, so when I saw his name associated with  the movie, You Were Never Really Here, I thought this should be interesting. I’m pleased to report I wasn’t wrong.

Alison Cohen Rosa Amazon Studios

You Were Never Really Here is the story about veteran Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) who is employed to track down a missing teenage girl (Ekaterina Samsonov), who just happens to be the daughter of a Senator. During the process we learn more about Joe, his less than perfect upbringing, subsequent traumas and his unashamed use of quick, brutal violence to achieve the desired result.

As he becomes more unhinged we also uncover a far greater concern, a level of corruption that sets all players on a different path including Joe.

Alison Cohen Rosa Amazon Studios

You Were Never Really Here is a psychological crime thriller that is emotionally draining.

The first half was quite violent which had a few people walk out. This was a real shame as it served as a very clever set up for the second half, where all of the violence happened off screen. It was enough to just see Joe walking down a hallway with a hammer resting on his shoulder to know what was going to happen. Well worth the earlier set up.

The music often provided an element of black humor relief, ‘I’ve Been To Paradise’ and ‘If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked A Cake’ were just two examples. They reminded me of Reservoir Dogs, ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’, a scene that continues to reverberate in my head all these years later.

Alison Cohen Rosa Amazon Studios

As the credits rolled and I contemplated the people who’d walked out, I pondered …

1. I was often on the edge of my seat, with sets up reminiscent of Hitchcock suspense;
2. I can see why it received a seven minute standing ovation at Cannes;
3. Ultimately the movie reminds us about the importance of perspective, particularly how you look at life’s small moments;
4. Overall, the end was well worth ‘going with the flow’ early on in the movie, and not trying to analyse what’s happening;
5. Joaquin Phoenix has yet to disappoint;
6. While this movie won’t be for everyone I recommend staying through the challenging initial depictions of violence.

For more information go to Luna Cinemas. and Palace Cinema.