Thoughts on You Were Never Really Here

I saw You Were Never Really Here, directed by Lynne Ramsay (Ratcatcher, Movern Callar, We Need To Talk About Kevin), and starring Joaquin Phoenix as a lone mercenary hired to rescue young girls from sex traffickers. I really dug the downbeat feel, the heavy synth music by Jonny Greenwood, how the character would use near-obsolete technology like pay phones in a modern world (I wasn’t sure if the film was taking place in modern day until I saw iPhones), the gritty cinematography, the broken-up action scenes where the editing shows the aftermath through the path of violence, and a standout scene seen through the POV of multiple security cameras. It was really great at capturing a brutality in the underworld, and did fit the kind of low-budget grimy action films that I like. I adored Movern Callar back in the early 2000s, and was happy to see Ramsay back in theaters.

But I didn’t like Phoenix in the role, he seemed heavily miscast. His performance was lumbering and dull to me, and he’s been like that in his recent films. There were times when I just thought, “Why should I care what happens to this guy?” I didn’t really feel for him or his personal life with his mother. I got that he was essentially a hired gun and didn’t get attached to people, but I just didn’t find him particularly interesting. I more just liked the downbeat style and blunt brutality of the film more than its protagonist.

I still highly recommend the film if you like these kind of films. And there isn’t any sexual violence against girls or women depicted onscreen, it’s more implied than seen.