Borgman (2013)

I suppose this review is more for American audiences as we are used to shock value and a huge ending compared to thinking and story telling. I admit, I was at a complete loss at the end of this movie until I read people from Europe and their reviews.I didn't laugh one time during it yet most of the reviews found humor in it. Just a culture difference and not in a bad way, I learn. I look at this film in a different way now. The depth to it. Kind of like in a way The Witch was subtle but I got it, this I didn't till later to an extent.The people who are from the Netherlands and such reviewed this in such a way that to Americans, read their reviews. I would of been completely lost without reading it. But makes sense after reading it.

I had heard about "Borgman" as being a movie about some guy, apparently a fallen angel, who slowly destroys an affluent family from within by sheer cunning plus a few little supernatural tricks like affecting their dreams. I happen to think that's pretty damned creepy, so I watched the movie.That's basically what happens in the movie, too, except the master "Borgman" guy (who looks like a cross between Max Von Sydow and Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson) has some help from some buddies of his who are just as evil and cunning as he is.He invites them in as gardeners after he manages to wrap the lady of the house around his finger by putting on a "poor abused tramp who hasn't had a wash" act. The thing is, though, is that I just don't buy the lady of the house coming to care about him as much as she did. I mean, she practically begs him to stay. For some reason I can believe that he can affect people's dreams, but the ease with which he gains total control of her makes it a little lame. It's like he's almost omnipotent, so there's too little conflict. Like pitting Professor X versus, I dunno, Randy Quaid.The same goes for when one of his buddies (Pascal) transforms the house nanny from a sweet, kind of airheaded young woman into a vicious shrew who suddenly hates her boyfriend and fawningly loves Pascal. I don't know; it's like, I know they're fallen angels and all, or at least one of them is. But it's just not as interesting when they have these superhuman powers of manipulation. Dude even Jim Jones would have to take at least a few days plus a position of esteem -- not a damn gardener living in a shed -- to completely turn someone to their will.The movie is still very well-made, I just couldn't buy these awesome powers the Borgmen had. And oh yeah, they go around murdering people in broad daylight without the police being on to them at all, which also made the movie more boring than disturbing. Like, they go to the family doctor's office and just shoot him in the head without even a silencer. I guess their Deus Ex Machina Fallen Angel powers kept the police from caring about it.Without giving away too much, the Borgmen eventually wind up triumphant. This left me with the question, "what was the point?" Not the point the Borgmen had of recruiting new members, I got that. No, it's like, what was the point of this movie? What's it trying to say? "Here, watch these imaginary fallen angels ruin a family for two hours"? Without a real-world analog to really link these events to, it ultimately comes across as an extremely well-crafted but kinda lightweight flick.

There was a time when every single distributed film didn't need to be a perfect lesson in character psychology, motive and naturalistic behaviour. I'm as bored of it in indie films as blockbusters.Thankfully someone in the Netherlands still has a sense of absurd humour. I don't need reasons for everything, thanks. I don't need to align a symbolic meaning with everything I see (I bet this drives some people nuts trying to interpret every image) I can make my own mind up, and appreciate this Director for giving me the space to do so. Stuff happens. It's funny. It's dark. Borgman himself is a great existential force of remorselessness - the character will stay in your head for a long time, despite not understanding who he is or why he does what he does. I have my version of events, you'll have yours, just enjoy it.I saw this the same night I watched Dogtooth. What a night! Great double bill. Would go well with Holy Motors too.

One of the most meaningless movies I have ever seen in my life! Lots of people who are not talented at all in any 'art field', lets say, would admire, and say 'wow, what a great movie' just because they don't understand it, where the truth is this movie is simply waste of time.. Good movie is the one which makes you think or feel something; giving you a perspective of how would one feel in another man's shoes; giving an option of being a judge or a victim, and all that as a plane thought experiment. This movie fail to do any of these things. Conversations are completely disconnected, shallow and there is no point in it at all. Strange doesn't mean remarkable, it means something that has been said or done differently apart from socially acceptable rules, but still with some sense and hidden meaning which makes you think and ask questions you didn't ask before. This movie is not strange whatsoever but it feels like somebody had a great idea but didn't really know how to communicate it and end it.