★★★★★

The stuff i liked in this movie in order of how amazed I was by it (best to slightly less best):

  1. Sound design and soundtrack. Every time the OPN soundtrack came up I was losing my mind, grinning ear to ear. Hooooly fuck that stuff is so good. I saw Benny is co-credited on the sound design, which makes sense because this carries over into Uncut Gems too.
  2. The acting and characters are all amazing. You can see everyone’s soul from the second the camera comes into focus.
  3. The COLORS and shot design oh my god. The way the movie slowly progresses from reds to pinks to blues and then snaps into “realistic” colors right at the end. Soooo impressive.
  4. The overall pacing and the way the plot develops and everything, jesu cristo. The twists genuinely surprised me and I never felt bored or waiting for the next thing to happen.

I love this movie. I am ready to say that the Safdies are my favorite contemporary filmmakers. Amazing amazing amazing.