I disagree. The pacing is perfect. It is a slice-of-life drama with sudden bursts of action. It is a cocktail of different genres, the kind we used to see in films from the 1970s when the word 'genre' wasn't used to categorise cinema. The film takes it's time with the characters, but the narrative implacably moves in one direction - towards a fateful but successful completion of a plan to gather enough money to make that life-saving deadline. I found absolutely nothing extraneous in the film - not one scene, one detail, one beat. Everything was relevant and resonant. It is just about the finest film I've seen this year, one that has haunted me for 2 months now. It actually gets better with each viewing. Even the seemingly muted background score is superb.
This being a Pine page, I'd say this was masterly, soulful, searingly honest work from Pine. But I'm not surprised he did not reap any nominations for his amazing performance. Critics and audiences have always taken time to realise that good looking leading men types can be as talented as the supporting actors who get all the flashy roles to shine in. With this film Pine has proved that like the stars of old, be it Paul Newman or Gary Cooper - it is no easy task speaking volumes through so little dialogue. The best critics have noted his silence as Toby Howard - and it is Toby's quiet, long-held pain that stays with you in this haunting film.
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