Here is Ultrasound Movie Review, a bracingly original story told with a clear vision while also filled with chills and thrills. Ultrasound is the ultimate puzzle.
Ultrasound Movie Review
Today I will be talking about the new psychological thriller Ultrasound, which I saw last year at the Tribeca Film Festival, but is finally being released to the massive this Friday.
Ultrasound is directed by Rob Schroeder and written by Conor Stechschulte. Based upon his generous bosom graphic novels, it stars Vincent Kartheiser, Chelsea Lopez, Tunde Adebimpe, Bob Stephenson, Breeda Wool, and Rainey Qualley.
After his car breaks down, Glen spends one hell of an odd night with a married couple, setting into motion a chain of events that alter their lives plus those of several random strangers.
I saw Ultrasound all the way back in June of last year, and it was my favorite movie from the Tribeca Film Festival. I had been transfixed by its out there Bonker storytelling and its truly original vision, but I was also left extremely confused, so I was a little apprehensive to revisit it this last week because I was worried that its twisty plot lines wouldn’t hold up on a second viewing and it wouldn’t all come together the way that I had hoped.
But Luckily, Ultrasound’s puzzle box narrative did come together a second time around and all of the pieces fit perfectly. This is what hell of a movie to review because there is so much going on and it’s honestly hard to even pinpoint the genre it belongs in.
It has a retro science fiction vibe, a paranoid psychological thriller feel, as well as a darkly melancholic human drama at its center.
Unlike so many films that try to dabble in multiple genres and just end up with a scattershot mess, I believe that Ultrasound triumphs in taking all of its inspirations and making a genre of its very own. This is really unlike any movie I’ve ever seen before, and how often can you say that nowadays?
Ultrasound follows a man named Glen who, while driving back home from a wedding, pops his tires and gets stranded in the middle of nowhere in a storm. He finds the nearest house to ask for help and gets invited to stay by the owner, Art, and his wife Cindy.
What starts out as an innocent night of drinking and conversing turns into Glen ending up in their bed. He awakes the next morning, hungover and utterly confused by the night’s transgressions, and decides to sneak off without saying a word. Glen thinks this story has come to an end until Art shows up at his doorstep with some shocking news.
To say any more of the plot would be a disservice because there is so much more to this story and a lot of the fun of the film is to see just where its twists and turns will lead you and the cojones Ultrasound has to bravely lead its audience into this crazy bizarre confounding world only to rely on you to be analytical enough to put together the pieces on your own.
You could talk to a room full of people who just saw this film, and I think each and every one of them would have their own version of what they think actually happened in Ultrasound.
And I love that. It’s one thing for a movie to be confusing for the sake of it, but to be fascinating enough to make you want to keep coming back, to unlock its secrets is a whole nother achievement entirely.
I think the whole cast of Ultrasound is great, but I really want a shiny spotlight on two performers here, one being Bob Stephenson as Art, who is one of those actors that you’ve seen so many times before but have never been able to put a name to the face. Well, you will now.
Stephenson is an absolute chameleon as Art, and I won’t go any further into detail there because I wouldn’t want to give away anything, but his performance is outstanding.
And then there’s Breeda Wool, who was in my second favorite film of last year, Mass in a bit part, but she just explodes off of the screen here. Her character of Shannon is the real surrogate to the audience as she is also trying to figure out what the hell is going on along with us and what a charismatic companion to have along with us on our journey.
I cannot wait to see what projects will continue to sign up for because she has shown some real taste in her choices.
My only real issue with Ultrasound is that it’s just not long enough. At an hour and 43 minutes, I really felt like I was only scratching the surface of what this movie has to offer by the time it ended. I wanted to live in this world for far longer and to explore the many subplots and characters deeper. Because of this, I do believe that Ultrasound would have worked even better as a limited series.
There are a lot of things that take place in the latter half of the film that could have had a whole episode lengths of time delegated to them, but here only have a few minutes to be fleshed out, and in turn, Ultrasound sadly feels like it’s rushed.
But I suppose if the only problem you have with a film is that you just wanted more, then you’re in a really good spot.
Having read Snack Schultz’s graphic novel series Generous Bosom, which I would also highly recommend, I think he has done an incredible job adapting his work to the screen. This is a refreshingly original, high-concept film that will not appeal to everyone due to how strange and perplexing it is.
But if you’re OK with movies not explaining everything beat by beat, but rather allowing you to be the deciding factor in what it all means, then Ultrasound will be right up your alley.
So I am going to give Ultrasound Movie 4/5.
A bracingly original story told with a clear vision while also filled with chills and thrills. Ultrasound is the ultimate puzzle. It slowly unveils its pieces one by one. Once you put it together, the final product is far more intricate than what was on the outside box and it’s even more of a blast to put together a second time. I have a feeling this is a definite cold classic in the making.
What are your thoughts on ultrasound? Do you love movies that leave the ending up for interpretation or do you like them to be a bit more cut and dry? What are some of your favorite films based on graphic novels? Sound off in the comments section down below.
Guys thank you so much as always for reading the review of the Ultrasound Movie. See you next time.
Ultrasound Movie Trailer
Watch the trailer of the Ultrasound Movie.
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