Waiting for Godot meets The Shining.  A powerful allegory on the human condition and the changes isolation can produce on the mind and spirit.  There’s so much going on in each frame of this film that I can’t wait to revisit.  
         Tarkovsky seems to be an influence on the film’s tone and visual depth.  I’m sure there are countless others, but this one jumped out at me.  
         Pattinson gives the performance of his career which may get him an Oscar, or at least a nomination, and honestly, even with his decorated career, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Dafoe better — he plays his role with such desperation that his eyes are communicating so much at every turn.  The two play off each other brilliantly.  
          The film also plays with our expectations as well, and almost lulls us into a similar state as its characters, as we are stuck in this hellish outpost along with them.  
          The writing is impeccable, and really informs all that unfolds throughout — the way it should be.  
          That bird...whoa