The detective drama with elements of the crime thriller “The Daughter of God”, barely appearing at the box office, became the object of close attention of a wide audience, as the main roles in it were played by stars of the first magnitude: the charismatic Keanu Reeves and the charming Ana de Armas.
From extreme to extreme
The reviews of the film “The Daughter of God” published by contributing authors of the leading media dedicated to cinema are diametrically opposed, which is generally not surprising, because the picture has a rather low IMDb rating: 4.20. Many experts call Guy Malick Linton's project a failure. In the film there are many components of success: intrigue, exciting secret, “double bottom” and an extremely unexpected ending, but all this does not save the picture. Detective drama is boring, cold, and depressing. The protracted dialogs, sometimes meaningless, tire the viewer. Due to the unsuccessful directing and the painful atmosphere, the characters of the criminal thriller seem uninteresting and unpleasant, the individual ones are completely repulsive.
At the same time, the film “The Daughter of God,” the reviews of critics who are not so categorical, called the film project, paradoxically bribing its intrigue and offensive ambiguity. A simple narrative, though not answering any questions, permanently provides the beholder with food for thought, which in itself is valuable and emotionally does not leave the viewer indifferent.
“Left” or “Unprotected”
Filmmakers of all stripes, leaving reviews of the film "The Daughter of God", did not forget to mention the original name of the picture. During the production period, the criminal thriller was called "Unprotected" or "Left", and only on the eve of the public premiere, the authors changed the working version to the more intriguing and loud "Daughter of God." The film can be safely called the brainchild of the debutant Guy Malik Linton, who acted in films in three guises: screenwriter, producer and director. However, another beginner helped him put on the thriller - director Declan Dale. Film critics, analyzing the film "Daughter of God" (2016), reviews regarding Linton's professionalism were left rather supportive.
Originality of thinking
Experts noted the ability of Guy Malik to combine the originality of author’s thinking and healthy ambitiousness. The debutant has a desire to speak out about important things, to raise biting topics. Therefore, the picture possesses not only a stylish visual range (a combination of uniformity of color gamut and successful stylistics of the operator's work), but also a substantial unity. In the tape, all the genre components of the criminal picture and the supernatural mystical moments present not only create an exciting atmosphere, but also act as tools in the implementation of the author’s intention. The majority of reviewers rely on these postulates for publishing positive reviews about the film “The Daughter of God”.
Plot
A 102-minute story is built around two main characters, formally in no way interconnected. One of the central characters is Detective Scott Galban (Keanu Reeves), investigating the strange circumstances of the recent death of his partner. The last person to see the deceased alive was the inspired beauty Isabelle de la Cruz (Ana de Armas). An immigrant from Latin America is trying to start life from scratch. But more recently, she has witnessed a supernatural incident that cannot be rationally explained. After this, the girl is regularly tormented by sudden visions. This is a brief description of the storyline of the thriller "Daughter of God." Reviews of the film, examining in detail the structure of the storytelling of the tape, warn the viewer that each of the two parallel stories developing is revealed quite distinctively, but, unfortunately, is inexpressive and crumpled. All points above "and" are placed only in the final, answering all questions that arise during viewing. The culmination of a detective drama is the only powerful moment in a clearly flimsy tailored story.
Acting Ensemble
The film “The Daughter of God” is reviewed by those who have watched it because it is of a good cast. Consent to participate in the production of the tape gave Christopher MacDonald, Mira Sorvino, Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas.
Reeves confidently adds to his filmography tapes related to contemporary author's cinema. He has already collaborated with Mark Mann, Chad Stahelsky, David Litch and Elijah Roth. In the last draft, Keanu first met on the set with Ana de Armas. In the thriller “Knock Knock” she played the role of a sloppy blonde, but in “Daughter of God” the actress appeared before the viewer as an inspired, restrained brunette. Ana de Armas is considered a promising performer who is able to build a brilliant career in the Dream Factory in a short time.
Author's metaphors
According to film critics who wrote reviews of the film “The Daughter of God,” Linton’s project is invaluable in not trying to contrast, but to combine the dissimilarity of the views of the main characters, which the author seeks to bring to an identity in the form of humanism. Dear Isabelle is the personification of a man of faith, and the disbelieving Scott is the embodiment of a man of reason, disappointed, imperfect, but rebellious and unassured. In other words, the character of Keanu Reeves is positioned by the creators as a metaphorical image of a person with great potential. The dilemma about the proportionality of the sacred and the everyday can be removed as not vital - each inhabitant combines the features of these phenomena. For convincing proof of this statement, Guy Malik Linton deserves a storm of applause.