MovieChat Forums > The Limits of Control (2009) Discussion > Boring AND unrealistic, AND probably WRO...

Boring AND unrealistic, AND probably WRONG too.

posted 15 years ago by Zoomorph
2 replies | jump to latest

Seems like the worst Jarmusch movie yet. Previous films like Down By Law I quite enjoyed: a realistic and slow and hence somewhat boring, yet artistically portrayed, prison escape story.

This film however is bad!!!!

The pinnacle of boring:
Watching a lead character who doesn't even talk or move his face. The sparse dialog is dumb repeated lines.

Unrealistic:
Entire plot of passing notes around (wtf?), pseudo-intellectual conversations, random nude woman, getting into building at the end

As already mentioned, the dialogue was pretty bleak... just a few lines of juvenile "wisdom" on art. I also didn't find this film anywhere near as aesthetically pleasing as some of his earlier ones like Dead Man. Maybe he should have used Black & White haha.

Finally, I think the film is wrong about control. If the point is that imagination is beyond external control, then it's wrong because nothing is original, anything you imagine is ultimately influenced and controlled by the external. If the point is to show the black man as an extremely controlled character, then I disagree with that as well... it's easy to shut off all emotions and keep your mouth shut.

But it's hard to figure out what the point was... or if there was any.

And yea... the repeated line about everyone being dirt is just pathetic. It's nothing new, and quite meaningless coming from a super-star director like Jarmusch.

"Among us there are those who are not among us" ... wtf? I guess saying paradoxical pretentious lines is considered artistic or something.

~ Observe, and act with clarity ~

[–] oOgiandujaOo_and_Eddy_Merckx 15 years ago

ah but I think the conversations are meant to be pseudo-intellectual. I think I would call them Linklaterish. I think it matters more that the people saying them came up with them themselves and that they are capable of wonder.

I think as well you may have missed that the film is meant to be really quite humorous. I speak to folks about Dead Man as well, a film I didn't like, but it seems rare people realised that it's meant to be funny.

With the external control I think he's talking about control by entertainment corporations.

"Among us there are those who are not among us"

Reminds me of a line from a Millay poem about a conscientous objector, "am I a spy amongst the land of the living that I should deliver men unto Death" (from memory). I don't think it's that complicated.

I think you would profit from a rewatch frankly.

"He was pink and white, and all the colours you'll never see."

[–] PRiiCEY 15 years ago

I absolutely loved and respected this film I don't feel there's one simple answer to explain the entire film. I believe it was left open to interpretation what the actual storyline is behind what we're seeing. Bill Murray's character could have been such a number of different things its fun coming up with different sub texts and meanings.

I don't think Jarmusch ever wanted the film to be realistic I think he gave it a very strong dreamlike quality on purpose. I don't understand also how the film could be "WRONG" I think it was the film Jarmusch set out to make so the movie was very much right.

I took one meaning from the film I'm reluctant to explain it though as I feel there was many to be seen.