The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland Review Request: Don’t Look Now (1973)

How does a film overcome the massive baggage of a famous twist? Don’t Look Now is a film that is most known for its bloody and wild twist ending that has made its impression on pop culture. But this psychological drama is so much more than just a bloody end. Nicolas Roeg was a filmmaker known for his visceral and engrossing style that never pulled punches for his audience. Don’t Look Now is a harrowing tale of a couple who escape to Venice after the horrible loss of their daughter. Grief and obsession loom over them as they attempt to move on and confront their loss. An uncomfortable specter looms over this couple as they confront the guilt of their loss.

How does Roeg maximize the dramatic tension of this story? The visceral nature of Don’t Look Now all comes down to its presentation. The film has a grit to its visuals that feels ripped from that era of 70s filmmaking. The quick edits and sharp camera work gives the film an uncomfortable bit of energy that helps foster the tension needed to move this film along. Roeg crafts a slow burning experience that explodes in the opening moments only to slowly build the audience and character back up to such a place by the end. The opening sequence is tense and emotionally arresting with the shocking demise of a small girl with the unleashed emotion of her father clutching her dead body. Roeg navigates this couple’s aftermath as they struggle with grief, lust, and guilt. The camera moves in engrossing and enthralling ways as Roeg captures a wide range of emotions throughout the film. The score from Pino Donaggio is an excellent addition to the experience as well that just ties it all together.

Does the narrative in Allan Scott and Chris Bryant’s script match the excellent filmmaking on display? The film certainly opens with quite a narrative hook. The devastating death of a child is the shocking and emotional hook that such an experience needs. The rest of the film is quite subdued except for a few shocking moments that will get your blood pumping. The film is rich in themes as Roeg’s film navigates guilt and loss in such a compelling way. The story also explores precognition in a direct way as a blind woman tells this couple that their daughter seeks them out as well as a looking danger will befall them. The struggle between moving on and living in their past grief engulfs them like a wave. First the wife (Julie Christie) succumbs to such thoughts before the film’s climax when her husband (Donald Sutherland) falls headlong into it. Sharp symbolism and looming imagery are sprinkled through the film that draws both the characters and audience into this paranoia and haze. The iconic shock ending feels like a bit of a large swing for a film that feels so visceral and penetrating but it certainly has the shock value and presentation to have a lasting effect.

Who are the real secret weapons of Roeg’s film? The dynamic duo at the center of the film is indeed. Christie carries much of the emotional turmoil of the first half of the film while Sutherland tries to anchor this couple down into reality. The shock and awe of seeing a little red raincoat (just like their daughter) wandering around Venice certainly elicits quite emotional reactions. Christie brings such raw energy to her role and an openness that sees the possibilities of this clairvoyant. Christie’s chemistry with Sutherland is so important as Roeg’s film takes the audience through the ups and downs of their relationship in Venice post losing their daughter. Sutherland takes the lead in much of the film as he balances a fracturing sense of logic as well as physicality in key moments in the film. Sutherland was such a dynamic actor, and he brought plenty of layers to his role in Don’t Look Now. Even when the film begins to spiral into a darker and bloody experience, Sutherland grounds the film in a poignant emotion and connection that carries the audience to the film’s shocking end.

Does Don’t Look Now live up to the legacy of its iconic ending? This is honestly a film that feels nothing like this bloody end. From its visceral and horrific opening sequence, the audience is drawn into a moving and harrowing psychological drama. Grief. Guilt. Loss. Roeg’s film explores these heavy themes through an enthralling and intense presentation that hooks the audience and pulls them in. A powerful acting duo and top-notch film making makes this engrossing story work so well. The ending is certainly iconic, but the rest of the film is an entrancing exploration of grief that leaves quite the impression.

Special thanks to Carl Kelsch for nominating Don’t Look Now (1973)!