Review:

‘Restless’ 2011,

Director: Gus Van Sant, Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Henry Hopper and Ryo Kase

The Ultimate Hipster Romance:

More aesthetic than believable, more sweet than beautiful, more heart-warming than profound, Restless is a simple and matter-of fact romance dealing with subject matter that is anything but. Mia Wasikowska is fast on her way to becoming an acting A-lister and Henry Hopper is devastatingly gorgeous as the melancholic Enoch. Both share brooding chemistry. Despite some glaringly self conscious and contrived moments in the first half, the overwhelming sincerity of the last act succeeds in making Restless a moving ode to young love and death. The most poignant quote comes from the imaginary Japanese Kamikaze pilot Hiroshi, in his suicide letter, ‘dying is easy, love is hard’. 7/10, B, ***