Low Lights

Cinequest 2010

The following review is written by a person who neither knows nor cares about fast cars (or slow cars, or vehicles in general).  So keep that in mind.

That said, I am not really sure what to say about LOW LIGHTS.  I think I kind of liked it, even though I mostly hated it until the halfway point.

Twenty minutes in, my first note says “I have no idea what’s going on.”  And it was true, there were two men who just seemed to be chatting ABOUT NOTHING, and they were driving around.  Chatting.  About nothing.  And then there was a woman who did not speak AT ALL and kind of just hung around the gas station snack shop until she got picked up by some young punks in one of those (lame) cars with the (really stupid) doors that raise up to open.  Oh sorry, did I say that in my out loud voice?

So then they were all driving around.  And around and around.  And they ran out of gas a LOT so they would drive to the gas station and fill up again – excuse me, they went to the gas station and put in a gallon of gas or less, because they were right BACK at the gas station just a few minutes later.

My twitter review said the following:  “LOW LIGHTS: 5% pretty girl getting ogled, 10% driving around, 85% hanging out at various gas stations. NO JOKE”

So what finally turned it around on me?  The girl steals cars.  In the most boring fashion ever, like there were no car chases or anything, she just kind of drives off smiling at the cars’ owners.  Who mostly just stand there watching her.  It was sort of funny the first time, but when she stole the second car my notes read:  “She TOLD YOU SHE STEALS CARS!!!”  With the unsaid “dumbass” to be implied.

And then the end brings about the twist, which I totally should have seen and understood in the beginning but which went right over my head because the beginning was so damn slow I had forgotten this one detail.  I liked the twist, and I liked the end.  I’m not sure whether I recommend the movie.

When it ended the theater manager came in and asked what I thought.  I just shook my head “no” as I wasn’t sure how to reply yet.  “The first woman out of the theater said she hated it,” the manager said.

So there you have it.  It may be a girl/boy thing.  It may be a car thing.  Or maybe the movie just really was bad.  I’m not sure.  I think I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I recommend it.

Unfortunately I cannot find this video anywhere for you to watch yourself.