Posthumous (2014)

Excellent but underrated film

As Good As It Gets

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

A disgruntled, unsuccessful artist named Liam Price half-destroys his own artwork one night in the basement of an art showroom, after seeing that a set of works by a lesser artist has been put on display instead of his own pieces. Liam walks home drunk, falls asleep in a tunnel, and his things are stolen by a look-alike hobo who then dies that night. Liam is presumed to be dead.You can see where this is going. "Posthumous" is a predictable but cute movie, sort of like "Rocky" meets "Lust for Life." It has very little substance, but the actors are clearly enjoying themselves, and it is refreshing to see a movie that at least attempts to say something about art without brooding and displaying abject suffering for ninety minutes nonstop.I say "attempts," because I think that in the long run the movie has nearly nothing to say about art. It is about a man who likes to express himself in art but is not sure if anyone is listening. He meets McKenzie Grain, a lovely and intelligent journalist (played by the wonderful Brit Marling), and finds that she is fascinated by the "dead" Liam's artwork; and so Liam poses as his own brother, telling journalist about himself and trying to describe how important it is to be true to oneself. He sees through her misplaced ambitions about being a reporter; and she begins to see through his supposed indifference to the world.This movie takes place in Berlin; but I did not get a strong sense of setting. One of the first ideas put forth in this movie is an environmental issue, that of "the bees." Bees are dying, and this is a bad thing because we depend upon bees to pollinate our food supply. This is brought up perhaps one more time in the entire movie. What is the relevance? Is Liam trying to illustrate to us, through his art, that we need to allow things to "pollinate" our world? That we must accept and embrace the little things in life, so that we can grow and prosper? This is a movie about being in the right place at the right time, and being able to accept the struggle and bleakness and death around you, because those terrible things are what make us who we are. I think the art of this movie could have played a larger role to display that idea; but the relationship of Liam and McKenzie manages to illustrate that premise in a way that is charming and touching.

You know all those little and not so little questions we all have? About life, and art, and existence, and happiness, and meaning and meaningless, and whether sometimes is worth it, and what it would entail for you to sacrifice in order to obtain that which is important? And then, how important is it anyway? This is a movie about that. All of that. I know nothing about cinematography and it's techniques, about the takes and angles, and movements and captures. I am just a viewer, a random bystander and I'm reviewing this tittle as such. It is in one word beautiful.It captured my attention, evoked my thoughts and feelings, made me root for these characters, hoping for the best. It has such an interesting premise of what happens after we die. Does our name echoes after we perish? Did we accomplished anything extraordinary, worth mentioning and worshiping? It's about art, and it's meaning and creativity. It's about love and understanding. It's a way of understanding life and one's wishes and desires in a slightly philosophical way I'm a sucker for.I loved that artistic approach, I loved the music, I loved how atmospheric the movie is, and I loved its quirkiness and sort of lightness.I've yet to watch Brit Marling's movie I don't like, and Jack Huston is such a perfect choice, it seems, for those artistic weirdos, both in this movie and as Jack Kerouac in "Kill Your Darlings". Brilliant.

I loved this movie. I think that it is very under rated. I loved the characters. Jack Houston as Liam and Brit Marling as McKenzie were complex and great together. I loved Jack Houston as a leading man. I found that i wanted to watch it again as soon as it was over. It is a simple romantic story, but not predictable. It is not the most original story. A tortured artist. A reporter personally involved in the story. But it didn't feel old. It felt new. I liked the pace at which this story was told. It allowed me to fall in love with both characters. I loved the music in this movie. It matched the feeling and the vibe perfectly. I have not seen either of these actors before, but i will be looking for them both now. Overall, i just thought it was very well done.

It a shame that there is very few reviews about this fantastic movie.I am becoming a fan of Brit Marling as watching her works. There is always some sort of mystery behind stories that i have so far seen played by Brit Marling. This movie is not a difference. While it seems as an ordinary comedy movie. But it is not. There is some mystery behind it.The movie makes you think. It combines different senses, those senses that you may not realize their existing. It is not a pure love story neither a Drama. The other thing the i realize is its similarities with the titanic movie. Not the story itself, but some feelings that you get with titanic. I hope you see this too.It is also worth noting that while the movie seems predictable, it has some lovely surprises.Good work.