Expected more

Did you people see the same film I saw?

A Disappointing Continuation

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

How often do we get to watch a movie and laugh in one minute, cry in the other? When emotions run so deep that we smile through our tears and tear up when laughing at a joke... This is what this movie did to me. Kudos to the cast for a brilliant performance, each in their own role, and to the director to provide a wonderful audio-visual background to the beauty that lies in the friendships of these four young men.After seeing it, we ask ourselves: would we be able to do what Davy did? Could we be this strong and brave? Maybe if we love someone that much. Maybe.Another question is: how would we deal with a serious illness? How CAN we? The alternative is wait until it vanquishes us and steals everything from us that we used to be, that used to make us what we are, or... or take the upper hand and go out screaming. Choose how we want to end it. Choose to miss many important events and great moments... because we want to feel capable... just once again. James poses this question and we are left wondering up until the end which alternative he chooses.I strongly, highly recommend this film to everyone who loves genuine human emotions portrayed without sentimentalism, who thinks that friendship is not over-rated and that there can be times when friends are all that's left to rely on. Because in friendship, we have a choice.

It's some kind of buddy movie, but not as "Hangover" did it. Not at all. It's about true friendship and the joy of life. You might cry at the end... I did not. It's not a sad movie, it's a true movie. Love is a big theme here, and the landscape plays a big part, too.Cumberbatch is overwhelmingly brilliant and heartbreaking as James, who's ill with cancer and goes on a trip with his three best friends to live life to the fullest one last time. Cumberbatch is fragile and strong, tearing up and laughing out loud within seconds, embracing life and annoying his friends with worldly wisdoms. He's not an entirely likable character and therefore the more likable. Tom Burke, Adam Robertson and JJ Field also do an excellent job, but it's Cumberbatch who is the most mesmerizing thing on-screen. When the film ends, you feel exhausted but not sad. And you want to meet your friends and tell them that you love them.

Four friends, one of whom (James) is terminally ill, go off on a last trip to James's favourite place, Barafundle Bay in Wales. The plot therefore is simplicity itself and the film captures this simple idea and makes it shine. One reviewer described the first half as 'tedium', in my opinion nothing could be further from the truth. While the dialogue may seem trivial at times, it is exactly the kind of exchange one would expect of four friends under these circumstances. Light-hearted banter, foolishness and fun offset the looming tragedy, sorrow and pain. Very rarely have I seen a film that from the first frame just felt real. This one does. No over-elaborate flashbacks to explain a backstory that isn't really needed, the actors manage to establish the friendship just through their interactions, chemistry and dialogue. The performances are excellent, especially Benedict Cumberbatch as James is truly remarkable. Four male friends on a last adventure. Fun, revelations, regrets, redemption, grief and the subtle realism of it all. Definitely worth watching!

The performances are intriguing and, in particular, Cumberbatch is memorable and often mesmerizing as James, a terminally ill young man. The scenery is beautiful, and the backdrop of the Welsh coastline thematically frames the friends' journey to help James visit his favorite place on earth. Although death is often the emphasis of reviews, the film plays up the importance of love and friendship, highlighting just what makes us alive.The audience likely will recognize or identify with a personality or two among the four friends making the journey to Barafundle Bay, but the film doesn't resort to "types." The friends have different opinions about their own--and each other's--lives, but they share a bond that can't be broken.As other reviewers have noted, you should stick with the film for the final payoff. Undoubtedly you'll be left with something to think about--and shouldn't that be one aim of a good film?