19/34
It took 7 years to finance
Story
The Maynards and their children live a near-perfect billionaire family life. Aman is an avid hunter, but he doesn’t shoot animals because the family’s wealth allows them to live completely without consequences. Ayn Rand: The Case of Who’s to Stop Me?
premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival
Filmmakers Daniel Hoesl and Juliane Niemann create a decidedly interesting satirical take on the affluent class, and while there are some good ideas, the film feels underdeveloped and under-executed. The production design, cinematography, and color rendering are all beautiful throughout, helping to capture the atmosphere and essence of the characters. While Hoesl and Niemann’s direction is a bit chaotic, they have a clear idea of what style and mood they’re going for.
It doesn’t invest you and doesn’t care about you being emotionally involved
Most of the performances are solid, with a few of the children’s performances a bit weak. The narrative is a good concept, but unfortunately it doesn’t feel as strong as it should because the narrative feels underdeveloped with certain themes and the characters underdeveloped. It feels like it had good ideas that didn’t really play to their potential.
But it could have been stronger
There are some shocking, exciting and very strange moments, and I understand where the filmmakers are coming from and their ideas. But it doesn’t feel fully earned and the style is a bit like Ruben Ostlund or Michael Haneke. Overall it’s not bad because there are moments that I appreciate.
