I think it's a valid critique. If you cannot find any empathy for any characters in a movie, it can make the movie very tough to watch with any enthusiasm. It would be like some stranger telling you an uneventful story about people you don't care about. How is it confusing or unbelievable to you that this is his/her justification for being bored?
I had similar problems with this movie, though I did finish it. I think with this film, you were meant to be pulled along by the mystery of "what the heck is actually going on". It worked for me, but not in a wholly satisfying way. I stuck with it, mostly on the reputation of the film.
You are talking about @ 2 hours of my attention, and if you make a movie which fails at that most fundamental thing - holding the audiences attention - then you've made everything else more difficult. How you keep that attention is up to you, but it is crucial to everything else you are trying to do as a film-maker.
Good story-telling is built around a character, set of characters, or a plot that the reader/viewer cares about. Sure, you can willfully step away from this principle, as you can with any such principle - but it means you have to work extra hard to make the story compelling in some other fashion. It also, almost always feels "gimmicky" unless you do it right.
I'm not saying this film felt gimmicky. As I said, I think the mystery was meant to pull you along. But I do understand that some people care more about characters, than plot. Best if your story has both.
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