Saulnier’s best yet. Jesus fucking Christ, what a god damn movie. I don’t remember the last time a movie did escalation this well and economically.

- Saulnier just gets better with his direction as he goes on. He doesn’t throw a whole lot of “style” per se, but he knows what a composition needs, the length of a cut, the precision of a movement and how a little really can go a long way.

- Something really neat is how they shoot James Cromwell’s character as the narrative progresses. First, he’s literally just in a background conversation of someone else’s shot, practically out of focus, tangential to the main focal points of the character drama. Next time he’s in a medium wide in a different position of power than before. Then all medium closeups for a final appearance. All subsequent sequences functionally informing or evolving the relationship of this supporting character to the protagonist and narrative.

- There’s also just tons of reliable framing between characters depending on their relationship, be it friendly or antagonistic. Singles when they a relationship is yet to be established or broken vs. two-shots when characters are on the same wavelength. This is one of those things that isn’t rewriting the rule book but it’s effective when done well, and this movie’s entire bag of tricks is “great material done so fucking well.”

- The whole cast is terrific (AnnaSophia Robb!) but it’s Aaron Pierre who flies across the screen like a shooting star. THIS is what a star-making performance looks like. A friend brought up that the Pierre and Robb probably should have fucked, and I’m inclined to agree since you can’t pay for chemistry that good. That being said, the movie is paced so well that this is mostly a criticism of the state of the industry and less about this movie in particular. Yes, I am also still bitter about them not kissing in TWISTERS. I trusted you, Steven.

- Don Johnson’s late career renaissance as a dickbag authority figure is ridiculously fun. He delivers the dialogue like he’s spitting gravel at his scene partners. I could watch his performances all day.

- Just another shout out to Saulnier who has been such a fascinating filmmaker to watch grow. From the scrappy beginnings of MURDER PARTY to the aggressive punk thriller energy of GREEN ROOM, it’s inspiring to see how where he’s ended up. I think this is his best film and better yet, it’s the type of cinematic success that makes you realize this artist shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

- Holy hell, I’m in love with this thing. Top 5 of the year and it’s not 5. Probably not 4 either.