Man, guys, I actually saw this movie a few weeks ago but I needed to take some time before I wrote about it.

I’ll just get this out-of-the-way. Eddie Redmayne was a dream. I was impressed with his immersion in his role in The Theory of Everything and he blew that performance out of the water as Lili. Good lord this man is talented. Granted, the roles he does lend themselves to brilliance but without a finely crafted performance from a mind dedicated to honesty and engagement they could lose to the real events. He is perfectly comfortable with himself, he knows himself, and because of this he is able to share a story with us that was what it needed to be.

Alicia Vikander was a joy. She managed to be a stand out female character with depth, development, and her own story even in a movie that wasn’t about her but rather her as she related to Lili. I liked her in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and obviously she gives off a strong but rich vibe that I adore.

Amazingly, there was a third actor I found to be a standout. It was none other than Putin lookalike, Matthias Schoenaerts. Sure, I spent a good deal of his time on the screen trying not to be attracted to young, hotter Putin. His acting was good but what really struck me was his ability to instill subtext into his body language. And no, I’m not just saying that because I was paying attention to his body. He really did give the role something special.

The rest of the cast was obviously overshadowed by the main characters. I can’t really blame them since their roles were no more than plot. The peep-show actress was notable. Henrik was decent. They get the job done.

I’m not going to comment on the plot. You should know what this movie is about.

The writing was okay. I’m not sure if it was the source material or what but it felt like the story didn’t know Lili’s mind on some of the plot points and I think that led to a kind of watery impact for certain scenes. The major scenes where well done, the emphasis was just right but there were missed opportunities, not enough to hurt the movie though.

Verdict: You should know what this movie is about. It is artistically graphic, quite possibly the most sexually graphic movie I have ever seen in theaters. But if you think this movie is for you then it is worth those scenes if you are a little averse. Maybe go see this by yourself if you have any question about anyone you may take. Is this for children? Depends, what do you share with your children about the gender and sex? Is your answer, my child is way too young for those topics? I’m not going to argue for or against education but just…educate yourself about the content of this movie and judge for yourself and your companions.