The Super Network

Back in 2011 a film seemed to take everyone by surprise, that film was DRIVE. Since then it feels like we have all been waiting for director Nicholas Winding Refn’s next film, well ONLY GOD FORGIVES has arrived and this one is dividing audiences more than DRIVE did. This is a quiet film, about revenge, it uses it’s limited dialogue and imagery to tell the story. This is not DRIVE, no ONLY GOD FORGIVES is a much different animal, with Refn tapping into his inner David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and Alejandro Jodorowsky (the film is dedicated to him no less).

Set in Thailand, we meet Julian (Ryan Gosling) and his brother Billy (Tom Burke), Julian runs a kickboxing gym, but it is just a front for drug smuggling. Billy has a lust for the things he should not, and while out one night he kills a young girl. A cop Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm) is called in to take care of Billy, so he allows the murdered girls father to kill him. This sets off a chain of events for Julian and his domineering mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) who wants revenge.

The plot may be vague, however this is all about revenge, with Billy committing a terrible crime, and revenge getting taken out on him, which then leads to his mother wanting to seek out revenge. Julian is in the middle of this, hesitant to get involved, perhaps because he thinks his brother deserved what happened to him? Julian himself is a mystery, a tortured soul living in Thailand after leaving America due to a crime and possibly to escape his mother. Just as Julian is a mystery so is Chang, is he someone who is seeking vengeance for those who have no voice? These are questions we are left to wonder and answer for ourselves, this is not a clear cut film and it certainly doesn’t spoon feed the audience.

Refn has made a film that looks to be one thing on the surface, but beneath that surface is where the truth lies. ONLY GOD FORGIVES as hinted with that title presents a kind of Biblical tale about revenge, wrath, sin and absolute punishment. The visual element is very important in dissecting the film, with the warm reds and the cool blue glows, two very contrasting colours. The symbolic visual of hands throughout the film is very telling, are they blood covered? Is that how the character sees their hands? There are so many clues, and if you pay attention, you will see them and work them out. Taking this film literally will leave the viewer confused, think about the directors mentioned earlier and how their films have much to offer under the surface. The symbolism is there, the cold feeling the film gives off really goes with its themes.

Ryan Gosling might be what brings viewers into this film as far as the acting goes, however the real star here is Vithaya Pansringarm. As Chang he presents a character who for the audience, he’s an enigma. His motives are certainly hinted at, and using his presence, facial cues and eyes he tries to tell the story behind the character. Whether he’s singing karaoke or practising his martial arts skills, each action is perfect in its execution and he believes what he’s doing. Ryan Gosling again plays a character with little to say, he relies on his actions and his eyes to speak for Julian. The pain of Julian was very clear, as seen in his scenes with Mai (Yayaying Rhatha Phongam), there is nothing remotely pleasurable about them. Kristin Scott Thomas portrayed a heartless woman, and she did it so flawlessly, it isn’t going to be easy seeing her in another role. The cast do an exceptional job, even the extras in the background bring something to the table.

There are on-going themes in the films of Nicholas Winding Refn, these are perhaps themes that interest him and instead of telling the same story over and over, he offers something very different each time. He’s not subtle by any means, however he really wants to challenge his audience and make them think. The influences here are very clear, he isn’t copying anything though, this is very much his own film. ONLY GOD FORGIVES is a powerful visual experience, where revenge is a dish that is served cold and no one comes out of it unpunished.

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