Spoiler Warning: This discussion contains some spoilers. It could be an entire gag from a comedy or in-depth conversation concerning events in the second act.
"You're really hard to read."
Lawrence Michael Levine’s indie darling Black Bear has been on my to-watch list ever since I saw the promo photo of a curled-up Aubrey Plaza on a river pier. I was not remotely prepared for just how weird things were going to get, and even if some of it doesn’t work for me, it’s impossible not to appreciate how this utilises its influences. This is an absolute whirlwind with heavy thriller aspects and meta-commentary that is still playing with my brain.
The film is ostensibly split into two halves, with a tiny extra bit, depending on how you want to interpret it. I loved the first of these two sections, which really plays on some uncomfortable notions. It transforms that horrible feeling where you’re present during a couple’s argument into an actual horror movie. Plaza’s Allison is placed at its core, despite being completely uninvolved in any of the conflicts until her involvement makes her the target of the discussion. It’s absolutely fantastic stuff that culminates in such an explosive manner; I almost wish it never ended.
However, the film goes in a completely different direction with its second half, opting to emulate Mulholland Drive’s oneiric qualities and split female personalities who seemingly overlap more than we first believed. Its final moments almost conclude the ideas that it has a little too neatly once you give it some thought, but there’s enough to play around with to make this a brain burner. What does that black bear represent? Why do things begin to differ in the closing act from how we would expect? It’s cleverly done.
Black Bear is a wonderful small-scale indie with monumental performances from Sarah Gadon, Christopher Abbott, and, most noticeably, Aubrey Plaza. The 100-minute runtime makes this next to impossible not to recommend. It’s not top of the list for thrillers I would recommend, but if you’re in the mood for something completely different than what you’re used to, Black Bear is the way to go. Write it down somewhere, it’ll creep back into your watchlist soon enough.
Connor Clarke Film 