There are two things about this movie that might not work for some movie goers. The first thing is that Philip; the lead character played by Sam Claflin, makes a rather quick change of heart, from hating somebody to completely falling in love with that person, all in a short amount of time. This is the premise of the movie after all, so I suppose you either accept it or watch something else. I myself bought the reasons why Philip changed his mind, and it does have a lot to do with the character of Rachel; the widow of his cousin played by Rachel Weisz, and the effect she has on him.
The second thing about this movie that might not work for some movie goers, is how blatantly obvious this seems to be in trying to make you have to decide on whether Rachel really is manipulating Philip, or if this is all just a misunderstanding. Once again, this is after all the premise of the movie, but I would say that Director Roger Michell laid too many suggestions into making us think she really has sinister motives, that the guessing game of whether she is or isn't is very one sided into one conclusion.
Since the movie is primarily seen through the eyes of Philip, we get to follow him into his descent of madness through the rabbit hole that is his cousin Rachel. From his anger towards who she is at first, through his infatuations, his obsession, his paranoia, we get to experience what he is going through as well. That is where it gets frustrating though, because Philip makes decisions you probably wouldn't do yourself, that are absolutely face-palm worthy. That is the romantic-mystery-thriller aspect of this movie however, and it will either hook you right in all the way to the end, or you get the opposite reaction and can't wait for the end.
Sam Claflin and Rachel Weisz are both really good in this, with Weisz doing a lot of excellent subtle acting to keep us guessing as to what her real motivations are, as opposed to what her character claims. A period piece, with engaging characters, a mysterious plot, and fantastic cinematography, only shows that this movie is better than it really is.
loveditenjoyedit IT'S OKAY itsmehitsterrible
