Death Becomes Them
Having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Annabel Cotton (Mia Wasikowska - Alice in Wonderland) is simply waiting to die, filling her days observing nature and taking things in her stride. It upsets her sister as she tries to accept that her sister is going to die sooner rather than later. Death plays a big part in the life of Enoch (Henry Hopper) who has never gotten over the death of his parents and having dropped out spends time attending funerals. He also only has one friend, the ghost of a WWII Japanese kamikaze pilot called Hiroshi (Ryo Kase). But after spotting Enoch at a funeral Annabel ends up befriending him leading to love and a reason to live.
Contemplative cinema, that probably is an apt description for "Restless" as this is a slow, ponderous movie with characters dealing with death in different ways. For some that may sound like some thing which will be fascinating but for others I hope it sets off alarm bells because if you struggle with anything which isn't mainstream, well paced and not bordering on the pretentious then "Restless" is going to feel a little laborious.
In all honesty I found it laborious, overly slow, overly ponderous and whilst not overly pretentious a bit self indulgent at times. Don't get me wrong as it certainly has some charming scenes and if you stick with it you begin to see the bigger picture, learning more about Enoch and what troubles him whilst also seeing how hanging around with Annabel lifts him out of his darkness. Okay so there is the curious nature of him having the ghost of a WWII Japanese kamikaze pilot as a friend but that also begins to make sense. But despite having these moments which entertain the general feel of the movie constantly tests you if you are not use to offbeat movies.
What this all boils down to is that "Restless" wasn't for me and I found it too slow, ponderous and over contemplative for my liking. But it is nicely shot and in fairness nicely acted which I am sure makes it entertaining for those seeking something with more depth than your average piece of cinema.
