Directed by Sam Esmail. DP was Eric Koretz.
I can see why 'Comet' is a polarizing film. Some people are going to be put off by the experiments Esmail and Koretz engaged in to give the movie a unique feel. But it's disingenuous to brush this off like a child playing with finger paints. Koretz has an agenda with each choice which adds to the scene and the understanding of the film.
For example, below we have a
diaphanous shot, as if it were an overexposed photograph. The white shears behind them along with the lighting choice give the scene a heavenly feel. Or like someone who just woke up and has to adjust their eyes to the sun (or suns) pouring in. Dell (Long) and Kimberly (Rossum) are waking up to each others emotions. There's a stark change coming and both are starting to realize it.
Just as there is imbalance in their relationship, there's imbalance in the framing. This technique was used heavily in '
The King's Speech'. A fact which adds nothing to this analysis. But it's here for you consumption in any event. store it away in the back of your mind like the state capitals and the winner of the first Super Bowl (Packers). Anyway, after reviewing the film again, Koretz was demonstrating how their relationship was actually unhealthy and destined to fail. If you compare these shots with the ones at the bottom of the review, you can see when Dell and Kimberly are not dating the screen is balanced, just like their lives.
I like the design of the background in the shot above. This occurs as the leads bump into each after being broken up for a while. There's a desire to get back together demonstrated by the scenery. Two lamps up in the right corner, two trees on the left side, two windows in between the trees, a couple obscured by the trees.
There's a clever Easter egg in the background of this shot below. This is when Kimberly admits to cheating on Dell. The sign on his right says 'Fidelios'. If you saw 'Eyes Wide Shut' you'll recognize this as the password to get into the orgy. It's also the name of a play about the dedication of a wife to her husband by
Beethoven. Such a crispy ironic joke placed in the background of this scene.
Below we have two shots I reference earlier, where the shots are balanced.
The top shot, with the dual suns has the feeling of suddenly losing gravity. It took a minute to even process what was happening, I was caught off guard by the magnitude of something neither character acknowledges. It sort of makes you feel left out. And then below on the train, the background is so fake as to be intentional. Through the blue screen in the background Koretz give this part of the story a silent film era/
Buster Keaton feel.
I highly recommend 'Comet' as a way to sit back and enjoy the collaboration of two skilled artists experimenting without boundaries. The story itself? It's fine. You're not watching for the love story, your watching for the grandeur of film making. And 'Comet' has it in spades.
