JoeKulik
Erik Poppe's !,000 Times Good Night is a very good film in the storytelling tradition of Cinematic Art. And what a story it tells, the story of a intrepid war zone photo-journalist, whose dangerous assignments begin to cause severe discord in her marriage, and then with her older daughter Steph. But below the surface level of this effective dramatic production, lies submerged a tragic tale indeed.That is because for me, this film is about a person with latent suicidal tendencies, a person with a "death wish". Because she can't admit this death wish to herself, much less to those around her, it is an unconscious death wish that she obscures, and indirectly satisfies by choosing a professional that places her in a position of getting killed, of allowing her to commit "suicide by employment", if you will. All her pronouncements about her "professional dedication", and her "commitment to expose the horrors of war to the world" are just further attempts to obscure her death wish not only from herself, but from the people around her. Plus, if she does get killed in the course of being a war zone photo-journalist, her legacy for her family will be of her memory draped in the glorious flag of the intrepid photo-journalist, rather than leaving her family stigmatized if she were to commit suicide by more traditional means. Yet, her latent wish to commit "suicide by employment" keeps getting frustrated because, alas, she keeps coming home alive and well, which only frustrates her latent death wish even more, causing her to return to war zones again and again, thereby converting an obsessive wish to die into a "passion for her work". However, her husband, although he's no more consciously aware of his wife's death than she is, starts to "sense" it on an intuitive, "gut" level. He's "catching her vibes". So his outward rejection of his wife's chosen profession is really, on a subtle, emotional, and intuitive level, his rejection of a woman with an insatiable desire to die, his rejection of the "stink of death" that exudes from within her. The older daughter, Steph also begins to intuitively recognize her mother's latent death wish at the Kenyan refugee camp when, although the job her mother was sent to do was essentially accomplished, her mother essentially abandoned her by unadvisedly running back to a shootout by the rebels, by her mother's obsession with placing herself in a position to get killed. The film ends with this person's latent death wish still unresolved, and still submerged in her unconsciousness, although, by this time, her obsessive, latent desire to kill herself has led her to lose her family.
Shawn Sorensen
This represents the first great movie I've seen in awhile. We think it's the old Hollywood story about families sticking together. Instead a mother tries to honor her teenage daughter's idealism about the world - an idealism that's desperately needed but nearly impossible to achieve. This mixed in with a home front situation and seems to be beyond ideal. The acting is frequently subtle, sometimes powerful, but they certainly cast the right amount of people (i.e. not too many) to solidify a strong message. I was impressed at how directly the dialogue took on world politics and non-profit organizations. Beautiful camera work - the theme - and a surprise ending make this a must-see.
randall-3-562343
This film deals with numerous mature themes, and handles them in an incredibly well-crafted way:> how families and children in the US are so sheltered and distanced from life around the world; > how our American dream is the target of extremists who want to blow it up; > how families can be torn apart by jobs and responsibilities that take them in different directions; > how committed the people who commit acts of violence are - we really don't have our minds wrapped around their mindsets;> how spouses support one another's work responsibilities, or not.Maybe if there's a flaw it has to do with the many theme plots it contains, but in the end I would see it again. And if you will return to see a film twice, then it had to have something of value.It you want to be entertained, this is not your film of choice. If you want to be engaged in thought-provoking subject matter, go.
LeoDRK
During the first ten minutes we learn that Rebecca (Juliette Binoche) is a photographer investigating terrorism, putting her own life in danger. Until an explosion takes her back to home. Twenty five minutes later she decides to quit her job. Twenty five minutes later she decides to take her daughter to a refugee camp in Kenya.Until this very point, nothing really happens in the story. It looks like Erik Poppe thought the subject (the terrorism) was enough to carry on the audience. I don't think that worked.The actual story starts after a whole hour of film. Here Rebecca takes a series of decisions making changes in her life and her family. And it's kind of interesting, but you are already too bored by that time.I think the film presents Rebecca's difficulties for staying at home, as the main conflict. But it seems to be too weak for making the story flow.
