Demolition

What it's about:

A sympathetic woman forms a strong bond with an investment banker who recently lost his wife in a car accident.

What we thought:

Whenever someone asks me what Demolition is about, I answer: “It’s about a man whose wife dies in a car crash and the way he deals with her death”.

I immediately see the disinterest on their faces.

Then I quickly add: “But it isn’t what you think at all. Just trust me. Go watch it.”

As has become my own little tradition, I don’t read up on or watch the trailers of the films I have to review. 

I want to walk in with absolutely no expectations. A type of “clear canvas” approach. It’s a method that’s proved to really have enhanced my movie-going experience.

See, I think the magic of cinema is embedded in the unexpected - the surprises and twists and turns that makes the discovery of it all so much more thrilling.

Demolition is officially the best film I’ve watch so far this year. I was moved deeply by the way the film looks at life, loss and even just existing. 

It’s an honest and raw portrayal of being human and it forced me to take a deep breath and just stop everything for a moment. What is this silly thing called life really all about?

Director Jean-Marc Vallée managed to tell a very old story in modern setting without even once stepping into a puddle of clichés. 

The cast of Demolition effortlessly complement each other and have an interlinking rhythm that’s joyful to watch unfold on the big screen. 

Jake Gyllenhaal gives one of his most beautiful performances to date. His subtle attention to detail in the emotional unravelling of his character makes for a magnificent cinematic experience. 

Demolition shows that sometimes you have to break everything down, pick it apart and pull back the layers to really understand what’s going on. 

This isn’t an action flick as the title might suggest. Instead it’s a wonderful story about being human. 

I truly loved everything about this film.