Miller's Girl is polarizing. It tries to broaden perceptions of victimhood but its unclear conclusions leave room for victim-blaming. The flowery dialogue is pretentious but serves the themes of performance. There are ideas of sexuality, boundaries, predatory behavior, maturity, accountability, grooming, desire, power dynamics, and gaslighting. The characters sometimes feel dynamic yet sometimes feel artificial. There's meta-awareness, telling rather than showing, telegraphed predictability, and recontextualized cliches. The acting offers chemistry, vulnerability, intensity, range, charisma, and inconsistent accents. Overall, Miller's Girl's muddled execution impedes its intentions.
Technically, Miller's Girl is sleek, surreal, cold, and uneven. Its sharp imagery has framing, lighting, movement, focus, and spacing. The dreamlike yet dry editing uses inserts, dissolves, slo-mo, pacing, and intercuts. Its sound adds split cuts, voiceovers, echoes, emphasis, stings, layering, and volume. The music offers dramatic pianos, ranged scoring, eclectic needle drops, and ethereal singing. Its gothic production design conveys a sense of place, symbolic colors, and thin immersion. The small cast possesses talent and fame. Its effects are minimal yet fitting. Ultimately, Miller's Girl presents art and thought, but it's difficult to relate to or derive meaning from.
Writing: 6/10
Direction: 5/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Acting: 8/10
Editing: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10
Production Design: 6/10
Casting: 7/10
Effects: 6/10
Overall Score: 6.9/10
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