Bubble
Another Steven Soderbergh Experience
Romantic tragedy unfolds in a small Midwestern town when a bizarre love triangle at a doll factory turns to murder. Brought to life with startling realism, Bubble is truly a unique cinematic experiment.
Member Reviews
Interesting experiment, a breath of fresh air - luyo
It's refreshing to see a big-time Hollywood director doing a small picture with "non-performers" as he refers to them. Using non-professional actors is something that has been done effectively to achieve greater naturalism for many decades in international cinema, a great example being the 1948 Italian film "The Bicycle Theif". Bubble does this quite well, providing a unique view into a particular cross-section of American society, since the actors were drawn from that actual town, and aspects of their lives are incorporated into the characters they play. They are not given lines to memorize, and sometimes the director deliberately keeps information from them, so that their spontaneous reactions are captured, and their natural way of speaking comes out in the scenes. One scene in particular, where the main character is being interrogated by the detective, is amazing. The actress was kept waiting in the room for 5 minutes in silence before the detective came in. She wasn't told what he was going to ask her. Once he came in, and as his questions became progressively more direct, her nervousness is tangible, growing into a very authentic emotional reaction that could never be recreated by professional actors. It's not that the non-performers give better performances, it's just a different way of making a film and eliciting emotions and capturing them on film. Another scene between the two younger co-workers having a conversation at a bar is also impressively realistic. Not every element of the film works perfectly. Sometimes characters stare into the distance in a contrived, somewhat unnatural pose, maybe because the direction was too specific: "stare into the distance, thinking". Who knows, maybe it's part of creating the bizarre atmosphere surrounding the murder. Judge for yourself, the film is worth seeing regardless, so that we don't get too used to one way that movies "should" be made. It's good to see something different sometimes.Great little film! - KeithTalent
Another one of Steven Soderbergh's small, unusual films, done with a lot of non-actors and improvised dialogue. Follows the story of a sort of love triangle between 3 workers in a small town doll factory. It's a pretty slow film, but it all works for me since it's short and it has an interesting premise. I was really wrapped up in what was happening here and enjoyed the film quite a bit. I'm definitely becoming a big fan Soderbergh's, particularly his smaller films.Stripped Down, but Effective Film - nw_kiff
"Bubble" feels in many ways like a student film, and I don't mean that to be a negative thing. The camerawork and shot selection is very unusual for a Hollywood film, and resembles more the type of things you would see in low-budget short films. The film revolves around three characters working at a doll factory in a small town, and become a small murder mystery.
The dialogue is stripped down to seem as close to a real discussion as possible. No exposition here, just some small inane conversations about nothing that you would probably have on your break in a factory. These elements may turn some off, but for myself I found it drew me in, because it helps make the film stand-out, and gives it a unique feeling.
The performances are also very good, and by the end there are some layers revealed that there is more going on in this movie than it first appears. Anyone in the mood for something different should check this out.
Member Reviews
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Interesting experiment, a breath of fresh air - luyo
It's refreshing to see a big-time Hollywood director doing a small picture with "non-performers" as he refers to them. Using non-professional actors is something that has been done effectively to achieve greater naturalism for many decades in international ...Great little film! - KeithTalent
Another one of Steven Soderbergh's small, unusual films, done with a lot of non-actors and improvised dialogue. Follows the story of a sort of love triangle between 3 workers in a small town doll factory. It's a pretty slow film, but it all works for me since ...Stripped Down, but Effective Film - nw_kiff
"Bubble" feels in many ways like a student film, and I don't mean that to be a negative thing. The camerawork and shot selection is very unusual for a Hollywood film, and resembles more the type of things you would see in low-budget short films. The film revolves ...