Viewed in
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
Ryan Reynolds stars as an American contractor during the U.S. occupation of Iraq who finds himself buried in a coffin in the desert.
Loved
The premise.
Liked
The visual creativity.
Thoughts
Definitely one of the most interesting films of 2010.
Obviously, I was very intrigued by the premise, and the film makers were able to create some fascinating moments via performance, cinematography, and sound. Aside from the uniqueness of this film, I was also drawn in by its challenges.
I got to say, Ryan Reynolds has impressed me in the past couple of years with his film choices and performances. Being the only character onscreen, he carried the story with natural ease. And much like his contemporary, James Franco in 127 Hours, he also had to figure out how to create his character with minimal space and movement.
The behind-the-scenes for Buried would probably be fun, just to see how many coffin sets they created, and the preparation required to get the shots they wanted while still maintaining the claustrophobia that Rodrigo Cortes envisioned. I also imagine the degree of difficulty for lighting must have been enormous, yet they pulled it off very well, everything was lit believably physically and emotionally. I really dug the use of colors within the confined space.
For me, the writing was the weakest link. It was solid, after all, it kept me invested in the story, the climax was very effective, and the plot was mostly plausible. However, at times it got a little preachy about the business of nation occupation/rebuilding, and Reynolds' character does do a few illogical things. Also, having watched the MythBusters episodes about coffins, I had a hard time believing he had enough oxygen while exerting so much energy and using his lighter within the time frame of the plot.
This film really stood out for its unique story and look. I thought it did a pretty good job of making an interesting film for the whole 90 minutes. Too bad the moments kept vacillating between haunting and implausible.
What I would change
Taken out the snake scene, since it felt inconsequential, and silly. Also, replaced the ending credits song with a more heavier, befitting choice.
