Nothing I've seen this year has been quite like it. Joe's backstory is given through flashbacks and Joaquin Phoenix's marvelous performance. At no point does anyone ever ask him, "Hey, remember the war you were in?" Since the movie is adapted from a novel, this is the strongest point for me to take home after watching it. I'm sure the novel deals with Joe's backstory in a more straightforward way, but the plot in the movie is only the present and that's the story. I need to keep this in mind for my own work. Though I've done hours of world building, only some of it is truly ever a part of any story I tell. I only really need to bring it out to build character.
The soundtrack and score also works with each scene naturally and envelops the audience. Johnny Greenwood laid out some master work here. Sometimes, it even breaks the fourth wall, and normally I'm not a fan of that, but for once I actually liked that. Perhaps I'm coming around to it. It's right at the very beginning of the movie and it's such a good song.
The plot is fairly straightforward, based on what few scenes there are that are needed to depict it. The devil's in the details here, and it's totally worth the watch.
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