Limbo (2021) - Soi Cheang

Feels like a dream, or better yet, a vivid nightmare. The high contrast black and white aesthetic projects a myriad of lucid imagery which at times borders on otherworldly. The formal style is as precise and accomplished as one would expect, crafting a truly unique vision from a general conception that is familiar. A seedy, impressionistic crime thriller that lives in the dirt, dealing with themes related to the fine-line between order and chaos, the aesthetics of violence as it pertains to retributive justice, and the malleability of the human psyche when confronted with abject depravity in a cruel and unforgiving world. This is one mean thriller that manages to be emotionally effective due in large part to its distinct characterizations and how it exhibits their interconnectivity. The serial killer is merely a device deployed to elucidate such themes, a manifestation of evil which is largely faceless yet it is suggested that he too perhaps is sculpted by his experience which drove him towards such unrestrained violence. No character goes unscathed, and ultimately Limbo suggests in a sense that we as people are all just victims of the cruelty of our environment, some are just more malleable than others, and yet it ultimately we as individuals are autonomous and have the freedom to choice to be better and it is never too late to do so. Forgiveness is the path to righteousness and living an morally and ethically just life. I don't know, this film is richer than some seem to suggest and perhaps in time I'll form more clear and concise thoughts on this one.