Branded

Year: 2012

Grade: D

Country: Russia/USA

Director: Bradshaw/Dulerayn

Review

there are about a billion ways to make a film and we see very few of those any given year. for better or worse there is a certain style, rhythm, and language of film that the average audience expects. this is one of those films that is familiar (it’s not a film wholly outside of the normal like decasia or koyaanisqatsi), but also decidedly different. and, to cut to the chase, not very good either. there’s a decent idea for a sociological allegory in this film somewhere just dying to get out. unfortunately it never does. the allegory isn’t fully formed or thought out; or maybe i just didn’t get it. i get that it’s anti-branding and anti-corporate hegemony, but it never spells out how this story is commenting on those things specifically. and what does the ending (wherein all advertising is banned) say about the filmmakers? not that we become enlightened as in the matrix, rather that the government now much replace the corporations in deciding what is best for us. really? only in russia…

Watched in theater