In The Company of Men (1997)

In The Company of Men
1997
Dir. Neil LaBute

I've been looking forward to this movie for a while, after having read good things about it. It always seemed interesting, and it was, but it wasn't exactly what I expected. For starters, it was much crueler than I ever thought it would be (not a bad thing). The characters, their lives and actions... it was all so depressing, but it was presented in this strange, delusional light. No one is aware of just how miserable they are (except for Howard, but he is too weak to ever do anything productive in changing this).
The three performances at the core of the movie are remarkably strong, carrying the brunt of the film. There is nothing here that really amounts to a "supporting role", as it's basically just the three characters.
The movie is presented with this disjointed feel. It's like watching a series of short, connecting skits (a serial would be an appropriate comparison I guess). It works for the most part but it's a bit disconcerting initially.
Lastly, without going into detail, the end of the movie is phenomenal.




Apologies if I rambled