dbdumonteil
Some chic TV magazine for highbrows hinted at the Oedipus complex;actually,speaking of Greek mythology ,the story will most likely remind you of Phaedra.A father who takes a young girl who could be his son's sister ("meet my mom-in-law" ironically says the lad to his pals) ;this kind of plot is too predictable to be really effective ;we know from the start what "surprise" the screenplay has in store for the viewer.The music the boy plays with his band was certainly influenced by the Sex Pistols and may interest those whose tastes run that way ;the others may feel like putting their fingers in their ears, for the singer really bawls out in basic English ,only two (dirty) words of which are intelligible .The father who has kept a boyish look is certainly immature and his relationship with his only son has always run into difficulties ;this dad is certainly the most interesting character in the whole movie ,with an interest in biology ("man is a lobster in reverse"(?))and a legitimate longing for culture .The girl is certainly the most sensible figure.And sonny is looking for his place in the world;between the fishmongers' place to the nightclub where he performs with his group;he might "hide" behind all the tatoos which cover his body ,or his music played at very high sound level ,the deafening guitars allowing him to escape from a world he's not found his place in.
The problem is that the movie is much too short (hardly 80 min)and with too much space given over to the concerts ,it leaves the characters underwritten.
Laurence
"A Taste Of Ink" is a very touching story dealing with complex father and son relationship, surrounded by alternative rock music and tattoos. It is very rare to watch a such sensitive, smart, deep and powerful movie. I am impressed by the fact it is a first feature film, it is so mature. Kevin Azais is a terrific actor (all of them), so incensed and fragile at the same time. There is no doubt we hear in this movie the voice of a generation: lost, underground and modern. Thank you so much for this pure work of art.
zicteban
First time I watch a movie from this young director among the best of the new generation I was told, and I was curious to dive into it. The main character is impressive and so well played by the actor. You just believe in him, his suffering and his rebellious and artistic sides. Something's wrong from the beginning with the father as he really behaves too much like an asshole, a freaky bitter loser who looks down on his son. But you can think this is OK, why not? We don't know why he's so moody but it can happen easily in this world. The true issue appears with father's new girlfriend. Why? Because, if at the very beginning she looks little dumb so you could understand why this pretty woman with a sweet face is losing her time with such an asshole like the father, then, on the contrary, she unveils a very touching and inner way to communicate, listen, and understand things. So the line of believing in the story is broken: it is simply impossible for this kind of woman to hang out with that kind of man. It is as simple as that. Afterwards the evolution of the relation between the son and his father's girlfriend is out of interest because of being so obvious. Furthermore, we are not given a clue to get the reason why this woman, who turns out to be more and more charming as the movie goes on, is staying a single more second with that crappy useless man. I confess I stopped watching the movie after 45mn as I completely lost interest in the story, in addition to feel kind of uncomfortable, disturbed by the events happening. Maybe, I'd say maybe, watching it till the end could explain a few things and make the whole movie more consistent but I just did not feel like doing it.