Based on true events, Christine tells the story of 70s television journalist Christine Chubbuck whose tragic story I didn't know at the onset. While the events of the film do lead us to a logical end, the way it unfolds feels like there are too many disparate threads and leaves the whole unfocused. Is it about an ambitious female reporter trying to come up in a Man's world? Is it about struggling with both physical and mental illness? Is it about the rise of sensationalism in journalism? Yes, all of those, but while Chubbuck - very well played by Rebecca Hall - needs to be overwhelmed to get where she eventually goes, the film's presentational style doesn't give its audience enough clues as to what's important, and perhaps relies on one knowing of the original events to create suspense (events which, at this point, are more than 40 years old). I might say it'll play better on second viewing, but the depressing subject matter and treatment don't make that endeavor particularly easy.
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Siskoid
Based on true events, Christine tells the story of 70s television journalist Christine Chubbuck whose tragic story I didn't know at the onset. While the events of the film do lead us to a logical end, the way it unfolds feels like there are too many disparate threads and leaves the whole unfocused. Is it about an ambitious female reporter trying to come up in a Man's world? Is it about struggling with both physical and mental illness? Is it about the rise of sensationalism in journalism? Yes, all of those, but while Chubbuck - very well played by Rebecca Hall - needs to be overwhelmed to get where she eventually goes, the film's presentational style doesn't give its audience enough clues as to what's important, and perhaps relies on one knowing of the original events to create suspense (events which, at this point, are more than 40 years old). I might say it'll play better on second viewing, but the depressing subject matter and treatment don't make that endeavor particularly easy.