You Were Never Really Here (Review)

You Were Never Really Here is a Brutal Punch to the Gut!

You Were Never Really Here is a dark and brutal film that takes a hard look at the sex trade and manages to do what Traffik could not. Joaquin Phoenix gives a powerful performance that makes his character a force of nature barreling through the sick and depraved men that prey on those too weak to protect themselves, and director/writer Lynne Ramsay has a laser-focused vision when it comes to this gut-wrenching tale. The only downfall is that You Were Never Really Here meanders at points, wandering aimlessly and making it feel like it is much longer than an hour and a half.

At this point, it’s probably safe to say that Joaquin Phoenix is one more talented actors working in modern Hollywood. For You Were Never Really Here, he transforms himself into a veteran with mental and emotional issues that works as a hired gun with a conscience. Well, maybe not so much a conscience, but a code that he follows. His character, Joe, is a man of few words, but his body language says everything you need to know. He has the walk of a wrestler, stiff and powerful, which speaks so much more to his past than actually rehashing it all for the audience’s sake. The real focus for Phoenix though is conveying the emotional damage his character has suffered from years of brutality, bot witnessing it and dispensing it. Honestly, he makes You Were Never Really Here as good as it is.

Lynne Ramsay’s vision is absolutely haunting. The only problem that I have is that at times it feels like she’s focusing too much on the wrong thing. There are a number of abstract sequences in the film showing the mental and emotional distress that Joe undergoes throughout the film, but it starts to feel a bit much at times. A “less is more” approach might have made them even more impactful. That being said, Ramsay proves to be a brilliant director when she takes a more subtle approach to the character. These sequences are stomach churning as the audience has to not only worry about the girl Joe is supposed to be saving but worry if Joe is actually going to make it through his journey in one piece.

You Were Never Really Here is incredibly dark and has a number of thematic elements in common with Taxi Driver. Joe is a mentally unbalanced vigilante that sets off to do the right thing no matter what it might cost him. Opposite of Phoenix is Ekaterina Samsonov, who is electrifying as the young girl Joe has to save from sex traffickers. Her ability to portrayed damaged really knocks the wind out of the audience. So much so, that it’s difficult to watch at certain times, which proves just how tremendous this film really is. Unfortunately, You Were Never Really Here is one of those rare movies that is spectacular, but you will never want to watch again.

The narrative structure of You Were Never Really Here is a bit of a mess at times and can be hard to follow. Especially when there are a few gaping plot holes that are impossible to ignore. Things escalate to a point that is almost ridiculous and eventually, a governor and senator even get involved. In this regards, it does have the same feel as Traffik, which the story feels bigger than it possibly should be. Sex trafficking is a serious plight in the world, but making these organizations so big that politicians have ties to them seems a bit obsessive. Still, it doesn’t quite ruin the illusion of the film.

The bottom line when it comes to You Were Never Really Here is that it is spectacular. Phoenix puts his all into a complex character and ends up turning in one of the best performances of his career. He goes big and it works perfectly. Lynne Ramsay creates a brutal film that proves she is a director that packs one hell of a punch. I for one think that her films are beautiful nightmares, but like I said before, I never really want to watch them more than once. You Were Never Really Here is a hard movie to watch, but it’s a rewarding experience in the end. It’s not for the faint of heart or people who have a hard time watching films with intense sexual themes or violence. Much of the disturbing stuff is left to the imagination, but Ramsay makes sure that only the worst comes to mind.