Diagonaldi Very well executed

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

movies-by-db Wow, what a riveting watch.. It had me completely captivated from start to finish. Tilda Swinton's performance of the titular character is so good and believable it just hurts to watch. She is a timebomb, an avalanche waiting to happen a plane on it's way down, ready to crash and burn. She's extremely sexy, yet you wouldn't even touch her with a shovel. Tilda Swinton is the film.Opportunity comes knocking when Julia meets a neighbour at an AA meeting. A way to possibly fix some of her (financial) problems and extend her endless party, 'cause that's all Julia does. Get into trouble and party. However this opportunity offered is so twisted and so improbable it's more likely to be a shortcut to her inevitable demise.I can't stop ranting on about this performance from Tilda Swinton. It's so pure, so convincing. I absolutely love her. I would want to take this character under my wing and gently nurse her back to sanity. Just like her her friend Mitch (played perfectly by Saul Rubinek) wants to do. She almost meets her equal in the neighbour Elena, an also stunning performance by Kate del Castillo. Almost like adding one volatile chemical to another. She just drove me crazy, but in a good way. A mentally unstable damaged woman that, you know, can not be good for Julia.What kind of film is this.. Is it black comedy? Is it tragicomedy? It's like a Coen brothers film doused in alcohol, bleach and a hefty dose of realism and with such a performance by the lead I'm amazed I didn't hear from this earlier on. In it's sadness and tragedy and insanity the only other film you could compare this with is Keane by Lodge Kerrigan. Very highly recommended 8/10

doclee32 Just watched this film on TV and love it. Tilda Swinton's acting is extremely good here. Most actresses tend to over-act in such a role but Tilda's acting is just perfect. The story line is good, fast moving and interesting. Good directing also judging from the high acting standard as a whole here. Surprised that this movie did not win any other awards other than the British. The movie happened in United States and Mexico and good choice of filming sites. Only thing I can suggest is to have a more dynamic tittle for the film. I have not watched this film until now because I was not aware it was going to be such a nice thriller type of film.

dusan-22 Solid movie. First of all, excellent acting of the female lead. I was impressed when read that the actress has never drunk a glass of liquor and we got to say that she was so convincing as alcoholic. Then, the movie itself deserves attention, it has solid dynamic plot and good story. What I don't like about this movie is passive camera that is following the heroine behind every corner through long shots as well as limited interaction with other characters. Also, I believe that ending supposed to be a little bit more sophisticated, refined in a film way. However, I do not agree that is unclear since we know all the time what is Julia's reason for kidnapping: she has no Acapulco or Swiss Bank plans, she does that to change her life. When she figured out that the kidnapped boy have already changed her life pretty much, he becomes more valuable reward.

secondtake Julia (2008)A hard edged tale of a woman pushed by her own desperation into crimes over her head. Tilda Swinton lets it rip here, in a vivid, color, cinema-verite style that depends as much on making you uneasy as anything. The characters are so believable, and the sequence of events stumbles along with such perfect inelegance (to say the least), you hate to see it all because what happens is pretty awful. The ground covered is a believable version of what an ordinary person with seemingly good moral structure is driven to by circumstance. In this case, it's about being pushed by her own sorry life to do something that breaks out of it. But it also begins as a curious compassion, a genuine skepticism overwhelmed by the possibilities. By thinking, why not? And of course, why not then becomes all too clear. It's this sense that it could by a stretch happen to you or me (hopefully not, but in theory) that gives the movie its chilling penetration.And the ending, as sensational as it gets, is a logical outcome of where we began, and there is a kind of victory, but it's no Hollywood ending, and that's a huge relief. Rather, it's as if you went along with a woman for the adventure of her life and it's the real thing, nothing held back, including disbelief, fear, violence, and sometimes, thankfully, a glimmer of hope. Very very well made--acting, writing, filming--but not everyone's cup of tea because it is so unsettling.