Limbo (2021)

TheArtyDans July 12, 2021

★ 9/10

Gritty, powerful, uncomfortable, brutal. These are just some of the adjectives I would use to describe this film. It was a bold move from the director to present the film in black and white, but just like Zhang Yimou did back in 2018 with the excellent film Shadow, it works in the movie’s favour. It has allowed him to play with the composition of the scenes, to hide clues in the frame and to mask the obvious CGI used throughout to the point where it blends in so perfectly you’d barely notice it. It also makes it a pleasantly uncomfortable film to watch. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but the movie is so compelling and so interesting that it hooks you in from the moment it begins. And while there is a lot digital compositioning going on in this film, the cinematography on display is terrific. Excellent tracking shots, fluid movements made possible with a combination…