Get Low has one of those kinds of narratives that sticks with the viewer long after the film is over. Driving home from class I was still thinking about the story and the cinematography from the movie. I realize, that sometimes, movies are just great movies; but sometimes, great movies are also great stories. That isn’t to say that movies aren’t all stories in their own way, but it is not often that the story itself is what stands out among the rest of the features of a film. We might leave a film and say, “gosh that main character, what an actor!” Or, “How on earth did they get those shots of them in that car chase?” Or, “Did you see those special effects?” But, for me, the question I found myself asking after watching this film was, “where did they come up with that amazing story?” And interestingly, the story, is about stories. How does a life play out in the minds of everyone else? Watching Robert Duvall’s character, Felix, hunt down people for their stories of him, I couldn’t help but wonder: “what stories would I find about myself if I did the same?”
Part of the the brilliance is probably that the narration in this film is beautifully carried from one part of the story to the next, in a lot of really interesting ways. There are a number of scenes where one or more of the characters is actually driving or walking from one destination to the next, or aimlessly through a forest even, and it is never boring. This is because the filmmakers, aren’t just using these moments of movement to move the story along, but I think also to emphasize the “journey” that is taking place throughout the film, only further building up the impact of the story itself. The scenes in these takes, are full of vibrant cinematography, a reminder perhaps, that life is about the journey as much, if not more, than the destination, and it should be enjoyed and experienced because it is beautiful, regardless of the good or the bad.
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