End of Sentence (2019)

Sad but sometimes also (unintentionally?) funny, this story with a father-son relationship as its central theme.

John Hawkes is perfectly cast for the role of the weak, somewhat cowardly figure who, as his son puts it, has always allowed himself to be led and dominated in his life, while Logan Lerman also comes across well as the far less "good" son.

Good structure and successful characterization in this overall enjoyable film.

Translated from Dutch · View original

A beautiful road movie that lives up to expectations.

The acting is fine, and there is certainly chemistry between the lead actors. It is nice that you start to understand the characters better and better. In the beginning, I didn't find either of them likeable figures, but by the end of the film, you have grown to love both of them a little. And they both undergo a believable and engaging character development in which they learn from each other. None of this is laid on thick: don't expect a Hollywood tearjerker or moralized messages. It is all a bit more subtle. It is also nice that the film never gets boring: the pace is good, and the running time is just right. Finally, a compliment for the soundtrack: beautiful acoustic music!

I don't have all that much criticism of the film. You could say that the film doesn't really surprise anywhere. And I found the storyline of the stolen car far-fetched and not adding much to the story. This really could have been developed better and wasn't realistic either (re-registering a car, including spray painting, doesn't happen in a few hours...). A blemish on an otherwise beautiful film. Furthermore, a little more emotion could have been shown at times, but that is perhaps more a matter of taste than criticism (the film deliberately chooses reserved characters who don't talk about this easily or show it).

All in all, an excellent film that I can recommend to anyone who enjoys road movies combined with understated arthouse films. 3 - 3.5 stars.

Translated from Dutch · View original