26/47
The Maynards and their children lead a near perfect multi-million dollar family life. Amon is a passionate hunter but doesn’t shoot animals as the family’s wealth allows them to live without consequences. It took 7 years to get the funding. Ayn Rand: The Question Is Who Will Stop Me? I saw this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Director Daniel Hösl and Julian Niemann clearly have an interesting satirical take on the wealthy class and while it has some good ideas, it feels underdeveloped and not as strong as the film thinks it is. Throughout the film, the production design, cinematography, and color rendition are superb and truly beautiful as they help capture the atmosphere and essence of the characters. Hoesl and Niemann’s cues, while a little confusing, leave a clear idea of the style and atmosphere they are going for. Many of the performances are solid, although some of the children’s performances are a little weak. The narrative is a good concept, but unfortunately it feels as strong as it gets because the narrative seems underdeveloped with some of the themes and characters that I don’t feel like investing in, nor are they interesting to connect with emotionally; it’s like it has some good ideas that didn’t really reach the potential that it wanted. There are certain moments that are shocking, edgy, and quite strange and I understand where the filmmakers are coming from and their vision. But it doesn’t feel entirely earned and the style seems too similar to Ruben Ostlund or Michael Haneke. Overall it’s not bad because there are some moments that I appreciate. But it could have been stronger.