North Sea Texas

This is one of those films where you think, that was a story. And after a while you are still asking yourself whether it was a good one. I watched this in several installments, particularly because most of what is shown on screen is Pim being awkward and not doing much about it, making me bored. While I am glad that I finished the film, I am still asking myself was it worth it? Pim is introverted, awkward and passive, a deadly combination that makes him border on boring as a character on screen. But his quirks make him quite relate-able and I guess that is his saving grace. He collects mementos from times when he is happy and stalks people he likes, which, makes him a little bit of a creep, but I still liked him because he was cute. Were this role given to someone less attractive, it would not have worked at all. He is also constantly passive except when he has bouts of jealousy, making him the least ideal character to carry the film. The opening of the movie is filled with such local color, it **** you in with an alluring parade of characters. And then the story and the actual colors on the screen become more bland as the story progresses. It feels like watching a brilliant kid grow but not live up to his potential. Yvette was very interesting. She is filled to the brim with personality and yet she is not given the proper time and story to be someone you feel you would want in your life. The mother-son relationship was central to the story, yet it doesn't feel like there was any attachment between them, something precious. It was a week component of the story. Let's face it, Pim is not the most well-rounded character. It's Sabrina. Her crush on Pim and eventual disdain for him were very realistic and very human. You can imagine that she is someone's little sister and that she could be your next door neighbor. Too bad she was just a side character. The ending where the mother gave them her blessing was all too contrived for my taste and it once again sidelines Sabrina to an inconsequential character whose feelings don't matter. Gino and Zoltan are the hot, bad boys who are desirable. Fair enough, but they are nothing more than plot devices to externalize Pim's feelings. Which is, well, fair enough. So, was it worth it? It could have been, if it were 25 minutes shorter. Films need moments to breath, but in this film that time was ironically suffocating. There is enough passiveness from Pim to compensate for the entire film. The different characters are amusing to watch. If you are going to enjoy this, don't focus too much on Pim. There is good character study invested on the secondary characters.