BY THE SEA

by

JORGE SANTA CRUZ

"What's that music?" Vanessa—Angelina Jolie— asks.

"That's the sea," Leonard—Brad Pitt— responds. These two lines resume metaphorically the movie By the Sea. Just that nature is not going to make younger their aged passion. 

By the Sea is also written and directed by Angelina Jolie Pitt, and it does not offer more than the sound of the sea--very bad for those with greedy souls, but fine for simple hearts--. Reacting to the movie isn’t about the narrative itself, but to the high expectation and the low criteria it has generated.

In short, if the film would have been written and/or directed by Woody Allen, or any other unconventional creative director, this film had had scored better.

By the Sea looks like a very personal movie, as if it were born from a chaotic life of a writer whose wife is not longer, at least at the time, his muse. Eventually, he will stop searching for divined inspiration and will try to reengage with his nature: his wife and where she may lead him, e.g. the neighbor couple.

Together for the rest of life, preacher— no so fast—. The film judges the dynamic of relationships predicted by society; it is imperative to break the rule, what about together?

With the idea, "I see you smiling again!" Leonard feels fresh air again between them.

In short, this is a very nice movie; even though at some point, the movie looks like a fashion show or a photography slideshow.

PS.: This review is not more than a reaction to the many negative reactions it received. The theme of this movie is the same of my novel LOOK AT YOU, with a different plot.