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Obsession
R1 - America - Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (12th December 2006). |
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The Film
 At least I can say I saw this movie. That's about all I can. Actually, I can say something else about this movie. I realized about an hour into the movie what it was: a Dadaist piece of work. It's the only explanation for the lack of sense or continuity between story or character. The movie has something in the vague sense of a love triangle, with two men being in love with a selfish, self-serving priss. This is really sharp, as the characters seem to have all the aspects of a Dadaist piece of work. I didn't understand any of their actions, especially those of the star, Heike Makatsch. Her sudden and unexplicable turn at minute 40 and at least two other times in the last half hour are proof of that. Whatever she tried to do, I couldn't for the life of me figure her out. The other characters are no different. Her boyfriend comes and goes at the slightest whim. In fact, the most understandable character is Daniel Craig, the one with the unhealthy obsession. Even then, he has his own moments. I, like him, upon receiving a picture of a distance marker countries away, always go try to find said marker. The movie plods along from here to there, never really caring about the events it's showing. Maybe director Peter Sehr wanted to say something about the past repeating, but this would only be true if the events of the past were actually a bit more important. As it is, the logic behind the structure is somewhat random and, well, inexplicable. The movie and its three basic characters keep going like this until the end. The ending, where all the people are chucking stuff out the window, with no hint of resolution or closure, is the perfect ending for the movie. This has to be a Dadaist movie, or else it would suck.
Video
1.33:1 full frame. The picture is a bit rough. Not bad, just a bit rough. It's got grain throughout the movie. The wanted look may or may not be intended, but the amount of grain is pretty consistent. The print also has a few specs to it, but it's nothing big or very noticeable. The colours accurate, though, and the contrast is fine, given the movie. The biggest problem is the transfer itself, which is a PAL to NTSC port, resulting in ghosting and such problems. To be fair, given the camera movements in the movie, it's not too bad, but Mr. Craig's voice is too high for my tastes.
Audio
The only track is an English (and German, and French) Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track, and it's an adequate track. (Burned-in English subtitles are supplied for the German and French bits.) The dialogue is all clear, with no muffling, big hissing or popping. The movie doesn't generally ask too much of the track, which is good because the range is pretty small. Most of the movie is talking, so there's no real trouble. The music and other elements are all at good volumes. Nothing too great, but adequate.
Extras
The only thing that might be considered extras are a few startup trailers: The only thing that can be considered extras are a few start-up trailers: the imaginatively-named 'The Ron Clark Story' (2:46),'See Jane Date' (1:06) and 'School for Seduction' (1:54).
Overall
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