Sethsreviews’s review published on Letterboxd:
In general, I find the overhyped and "how scary is it really??” debate to be tiresome. People will experience this film in very different ways. That being said, it's possible that the flurry of early-screening responses and the aggressive social media push that this is "the scariest film of the decade!!" was a misfire. Not because I don't think the film does an excellent job at portraying its message—I think it does—but rather because it gives people an incorrect impression.
It's important, in my opinion, to note that this is really a procedural thriller. Similar to Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure in that it gradually gets closer to you, pulls you apart piece by piece, and manages to overwhelm your thoughts (but maybe not quite with the same level of subtly and complexity). It relies heavily on its exposition and the little notes it leaves you with. Something that really worked for me, but I think some people will inevitably find the lack of development with any character to be irritating. Its greatest strengths are probably the way it employs searing sound and the framing work, particularly in the close-knit scenes, allowing you to completely lose yourself in the menacing atmosphere and feel as though you were a fly on the wall or even facing Nick Cage's horrifying caricature yourself. Just on Cage for a sec—His bizarre appearance struck me as both silly and brilliant at the same time, and I actually welcomed the absurdly hilarious moments he had.
As many have already noted, this will be lingering on my mind for a good while, so I’ll have to see how my thoughts sit. But overall, I really really had a good time with it, and I’d absolutely recommend.
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