“Incident” Review
I really liked this film, even though it was super long…
First of all, I really felt for the main character. You could tell that he didn’t intend to kill the man, and that he wasn’t a bad person. Obviously, he had no idea how to cover up a murder, because he put his fingerprints all over the guy and dragged him through the leaves, leaving a pretty obvious trail. And then he visited the guy, and broke down crying about killing him. Michal was definitely a good guy who did something in defense that had disastrous consequences.
There were several things I noticed about this film. It took place in fall - which is a time when the world is changing, and nature is kind of dying. Which is what happened in Michal’s life - a change that led to death. I also noticed a lot of circles throughout the film - the legs on the benches, the pin on his jacket, the way his bike lock is wrapped around his bike. Maybe its just me being overly critical, but these circles stood out to me. It made me think about the circle of life, which is kind of what I thought this film might be about. Michal kills this man and must figure out how to deal with it, he has to come to terms with the fact that life goes on, that he can stil have a happy life with his girlfriend and new job, that after spring and new life comes after fall. This theme was strengthened to me by the scene playing during the credits - an old couple is walking down the bridge, and they’re followed by a woman pushing a stroller. Circle of life.
There was something else visually that I noticed about this film - the use of light and darkness. When we first see Michal’s apartment, its really bright. There’s a lot of sunlight shining through the windows, and the apartment is really clean and white. But after the murder, the apartment seems to be filled with shadows. It’s like Michal physically brings the darkness of what happened into his apartment with him. It was pretty interesting to see that.
Overall, I thought this film was beautifully done and I really liked it. :)
