Equals

Nicholas Hoult … Silas
Kristen Stewart … Nia
Bel Powley … Rachel
Guy Pearce … Jonan

Scott Lawrence … Mark
Claudia Kim … Voice of The Collective
Jacki Weaver … Bess
Toby Huss … George
Kate Lyn Sheil … Kate
Rebecca Hazlewood … Zoe

3.75 stars
I had the great opportunity of attending a film at this year’s Venice Film Festival on the the island of Lido while on a family vacation to Italy. Immediately when browsing the catalog, I was drawn to “Equals”. This Hoult-Stewart sci-fi romance did not let me down. Though far less imaginative as recent entries such as “Her” (2013) or “Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind” (2004) – the story, though solid with some good surprises (“twists” would be too generous), it’s not all that remarkable – the film truly excels everywhere else.

Kristen Stewart, just a year ago, was the butt of jokes nation-wide for her wooden acting and connection to the “Twilight” (2008-2012) franchise. She may now be considered one of the most talented actresses in all of hollywood, as evidenced by her fantastic showings in this film and “Clouds of Sils Maria” (2014/15), earlier this year. Nicholas Hoult gives his best performance save the hugely underrated “Warm Bodies” (2013), navigating a gradual transition with ease.
However the areas of the movie that really stick out is the production design, cinematography, and score.

The prod work on this film is marvelous. It’s a sort of hybrid between “Divergent” (2014), “Her”, and “A Clockwork Orange” (1971) to create a sterile yet believably beautiful futuristic look.
The cinematography on the other hand is completely unique to the sub-genre. The camera focuses in and out like a Nikon trying to autofocus on something too close to the lens; it is handheld during key scenes when you wouldn’t predict; and the focus is sometimes so narrow in focus, it boggles the mind to guess how many takes it would have required to make sure all of the actors hit their marks. The lighting also helped greatly, using only soft and natural light throughout. I can’t think of a single shadow until the climax.

Lastly, the score, credited to Dustin O’Halloran and Saercha Ring. To put it plainly, this score made the movie, largely because it was roughly 10 times louder than anything else but used sparingly. The chaotic dissonance it creates divides the viewers emotions and highlights things like they could not have ever done otherwise.

Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, “Equals”, take to the “Red carpet”, for the world Premier, their film at the Venice Film festival.