The story appears simple on the surface, but is revealed, especially after multiple viewings, as more multi-layered and textured than Cassavetes at his best. Ostensibly it concerns a 14-year old Catholic girl, Wynne (Agutter) growing up in this post-modern wasteland, who develops a crush on her much older adoptive brother (Marshall)- a crush which perversely deepens and grows into infatuation once she starts to believe he is the local sex killer. This is in itself an idea that makes you sit up and jolt, but as the narrative develops, it continues not necessarily along a linear path but in several confusing and fascinating directions: the family's history, (detailed effectively in chilling flashback during an improvised seance) is a chequered one, and has suffered at least one major relocation and upheaval in the last ten years. At the crux, however, it's the depiction of socialal changes that make I Start Counting so fascinating and elevate its language far beyond the confines of the standard horror film. The major subtext- that teenage girls were maturing more quickly than before, and developing full sexual and romantic appetites (even if in thought rather than deed) but were not possessed of enough discretion to make the right choices- was a step forward for a genre in which its young females had previously been portrayed as bimbo victims (Cover Girl Killer and The Night Caller spring to mind), but not one that all viewers would necessarily agree with. But most striking of all, and possibly the most enduring image which the viewer will take away with them, is of the masterful symbolism with which director Greene invests every shot. Every inch of the Kinch family's world- their house, their walls, their TV, Agutters underwear, bedroom furniture and toys, Sutcliffe's clothes, Marshalls van, the local Catholic church, their town centre, their record shop) - is painted a bright, scintillating white- a white which, by inference, is slowly becoming smudged and corrupted with the dirt of the outside world. White also symbolises, of course, purity and innocence (two qualities Catholic schoolgirls are supposed to hold dear), and it is into this world of innocence that the ever-present red bus (a symbol of violation and penetration), conducted by the lecherous yet similarly juvenile Simon Ward, makes regular journeys. The allegory is further expanded in one scene where Agutter believes she sees the Christ figure in church weeping blood: by the time we acknowledge it, its gone, but the seed has already been planted. Rarely in a genre production has the use of colour and background been so important or effective in creating a uniformity of mood. I Start Counting is as near-perfect an end to a decade as one could hope for, and exactly the kind of film people should be making now- which is, of course, exactly why they never will. A genre essential. by D.R.
3.5 First Movie of PTA
我已连续三天强迫自己看下去，终于看到了15min
尤其在当下这个节点，更为重要。
不停地想起 punch drunk love 感觉这就是teenage版，还是预告片好看吧，真的失望极了，还是在 apple tv 花6刀租的（但也可能是当下的心情不适合看这种小情小调
首先要讲好故事。（今年奥斯卡提名怎么都又臭又长啊
尤其在当下这个节点，更为重要。
当pta拍了一部看似挺有趣且门槛不怎么高的片子，而我却几乎无法在主角成长亦或是情感变化中找到任何情感共振是挺遗憾的（部分转折有点突兀），后半段也只在欣赏一些光影啊调度啊还有恰到好处的配乐等他的强项，但还是很喜欢
喜欢！感觉又看了一遍小大人版的私恋失调。开头相遇的调度太美了，阳光里都是荷尔蒙的气息。倒车桥段的设计太精巧了，一种流行奔跑时代的反向行驶。
4.5 清新复古，色调音乐观感很舒服，演员大多是导演的亲人朋友，pta也许就没想着靠这片收获什么，单纯的为年少和家乡写的一封“情书”。
3.5 PTA就是...很敬佩但是拍的故事大多我都get不到，所以电影里很多scene还是挺喜欢，特别是三姐妹出现的地方
前半小时不错，叙事很清晰，配乐沿袭了性本恶半即兴式节奏，但没有那么呱噪，配合人物情绪相得益彰，可惜半小时后表达空洞，支撑不起形式，叙事凌乱，女主前面积累的矛盾未梳理好就引入毫无亮点的新人物，和血色比差出十个大师。表达贫瘠果然是好莱坞编导的现状，连独立制片也集体歇菜，只剩形式上的重复与刻板，老马丁说的一点也没错，电影这个行当真就只剩游乐场了，PTA还可以厚着脸皮吃老底，其它人干脆噤声了事
轻巧而不患寡，小心而不刻意。PTA玩起来也依然令人喜欢，夹杂着浓稠私人情绪的可爱奇怪使观赏的人也翔如坠落水床，有些湿也还想跑。
7.0 怀旧电影，散漫冗长，最不喜欢的一部PTA。典型的反好莱坞古典叙事，运镜风格独特。
看不下去了，再一看导演——PTA，怪不得。
虽然是个很好看的故事，但还是没明白为什么这个故事有存在的必要，导演到底想说什么
结尾有点突然 除此以外完美 天才写剧本和普通导演写剧本就是不一样哈 不一样
很扎实，几处定格就把人物心理展露无遗，事情的转折看似什么都没讲，但呈现的结果已在情理之中，好笑又大条。
好喜欢PTA不紧不慢塑造人物的感觉啊 而且能游刃有余处理复杂的文本（Ben Safdie好会演哦哈哈
12.27 看不太懂 在一个vintage电影院看的还挺有感觉 感觉就是很散的片段拼凑起来的 有些还挺搞笑的 配乐也还可以的 看的不明所以倒是真的 不知道想表达啥 但导演风格个人特色挺明显 整个片就是那种脱离结构的离散感 但结构某种程度也是有必要的哇 有bowie的歌也还挺好听的哟 还有结局两个人he了莫名没有那种青春狗血的感觉反而觉得挺真实的 就里面所展示的情感都是短暂地联结 再短暂地分流 就好像一切都是暂时的都停留在当下了而已（电影院在los feliz 结果发现最近去世的joan didion以前也住在那里+昨天去二手书店买了她一本书
他们都有野心，都嫉妒，都深爱，于是互相伤害。闲散的情节裹在爱情的外部，把人物关系分段，每一处几近奇幻的段落都为人物关系带来新的问题，发现对方的弱点或自己的弱点。女性极目远眺后的温情回望，男性的自尊中成长。好在用不那么精致，真实的情节描写了爱情关系里人内心的细处。
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