You Were Never Really Here

I often find films that make the most lasting impression on me are those that blur the line between dreams and reality and Lynne Ramsey's You Were Never Really Here is one of the very best examples that I've seen.

It's a masterclass in economic film-making, with most scenes covered by just 2 or 3 camera setups but every shot a powerful and necessary piece of the puzzle. The flashbacks in particular show just how much information you can impart to an audience in a short space of time.

Ramsey's film has echoes of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (a film that he once likened to the feeling of almost being awake) particularly the scene where Joaquin Phoenix's Joe stakes out Governor Williams campaign headquarters and his bloody crusade inside the brothel where he finds Nina. 

All the action in this last scene is shown through CCTV cameras and Ramsey makes it all the more mesmerizing by choosing to time cut the diegetic music along with the picture, a haunting Angel Baby by Rosie & the Originals - one of a handful of interesting song choices that compliment another fantastic score by the prolific Jonny Greenwood.