(This review may contain spoilers).
This wasn’t a movie I actually planned to see, but I found myself drawn to it due to the actors and I was in the frame of mind where I was okay with watching something I knew would be emotionally upsetting.
I felt this movie was really moving to watch and I was able to empathise with Howard really easily. It helped to see the contrast of how he was at the start of the film compared to how he was later.
I didn’t really like his colleagues, even though I felt some sympathy for Simon. While all of them did have more depth than the start of the movie initially suggested, I did think their actions throughout were definitely not okay.
While the main focus of the movie was on Howard and who he had lost, I thought it was good to see more of the secondary characters and how Brigitte, Raffi and Amy ultimately seemed to help Whit, Claire and Simon… even though I didn’t really feel like they helped Howard.
There was a lot about this movie that really tugged on the heartstrings, particularly when it came to Howard’s daughter. While she didn’t actually appear much during the movie, the after-effects of her presence were definitely felt.
It was a little difficult to figure out why parts of the movie seemed almost supernatural. While a mix of genres can be engaging and add a new dimension to a movie, I would have liked to know for certain either way.
I didn’t think much of Whit, even outside of what he and the others were doing to Howard. While the ending showed a better relationship with his daughter, I did think the fact he had an affair made him the ‘bad guy’, no matter what his reasons were – not that those were really explained.
On the whole, this movie was a moving one to watch and there were a couple of surprises, especially towards the end. In many ways, it was effective to see Howard and his colleagues separately, as I feel the movie wouldn’t have had so much of an impact without both sides.
This isn’t a movie I would choose to watch again, but it was moving and emotionally effective the first time through. If you’re on the fence about seeing this, I would suggest giving it a try.
Ink of Blood 