It's hard to talk about it without spoiling anything, but this movie has a really interesting take on gender roles. Jaye Davidson was wonderful (and should totally have been on the cover?)!

The type of movie where going in completely blind results in a wild experience. First, minor point, I was thrown off by Forest Whitaker's accent - just was not expecting it at all and it really took me out of it for a second. But I pushed through and got used to it pretty quick and settled in as the movie kicks off into a thriller about an IRA kidnapping - not exactly what I expected based on the title and the poster, but I'm game. The dialogue and dynamic between Jody and Fergus were great and I was enjoying the setup. Much to my surprise, it was a setup for a totally different type of movie, as we pivot 40 minutes in toward a strange, guilt-motivated relationship drama that packs quite a few surprises of its own. While the big twist was certainly on my mind as a strong possibility, the movie does a good job of putting us in Fergus' naïve perspective such that the reveal still lands quite effectively. Overall, the unique/complex relationship dynamics make for compelling viewing and Jaye Davidson was incredible as Dil. As a side note, I'd be interested to see how this movie would be viewed by a modern progressive audience. Nothing really stuck out to me as egregiously problematic (surprising, given the age) but I'm not really qualified to comment on that in any case.

Sneaky movie with a great start and a lousy development