“Oliver does drama without being melodramatic, and is able to convey multiple symbols without being too pretentious. TAKE has a perfect tone, and conveys a beautiful message without getting overly preachy. It is a complex story, well written, and acted to perfection.”
“Oliver tells a uniquely tragic and hopeful story…all leading up to a climax that starts the beginning of an extremely tense and moving final act.”
- Eric’s Movie Reviews >
“What I love the most about seeing movies ahead of the general public — and even ahead of the reviews — is to have the opportunity to be truly surprised, to discover a gem. TAKE is that kind of film.”
“With its delicate interplay of tragedy and responsibility, and its non-linear chronology, TAKE is the film that Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s 21 Grams was trying to be.”
“I consider it a sign of confidence when a new director is able to stand back and let his story breathe. Oliver exhibits such confidence, drawing our attention to the story, characters, and performances instead of to himself.”
“Jeremy Renner is a revelation as the repentant criminal, giving what deserves to be a career-making performance.”
“Minnie Driver’s grief shakes the screen.”
“It’s a movie that deserves to be seen and felt and discussed.”
“It’s not only my favorite film of the festival thus far — it is my favorite film of the young year.”
- LA Times Forum >
“Driver does a terrific job as a woman haunted by tragedy and Renner is superb as a loser in life who ends up doing things he never meant to do.”
- Murphy Movie Reviews >
“The story was told without judgment, you could feel the anguish and redemption of the characters, it was portrayed, not preached. This was movie making and story telling at its best.”
“The writing was precise and tight, but the director allowed the force of the film to be carried more in its silences and in tiny nuances of expression than in dialogue. Which brings me to perhaps the most powerful of the film's elements: the acting. Without the right actors, the powerful message of the film in evoking the immense struggle surrounding rage and forgiveness would have been lost in the silences. Minnie Driver's face on one tight closeup after another showed nuances that were unbelievably powerful. Jeremy Renner's portrayal of a slow inexorable descent into darkness was captured flawlessly. And the little boy - Bobby Coleman (Driver's son in the film)- both enchanted with a completely natural portrayal of charming boyhood and terrified with a chilling reaction to what happens to him. Although young, he was completely real, with none of the Dakota-Fanning-blankness we've come to accept.”
“The whole audience was in tears; be prepared. But...also be prepared to think, and wonder, and grapple with the film. It is well worth it.”
“It is an emotionally charged piece that can be difficult to watch. However in the end, I was left with a movie that really provoked me to question society and our own actions and the residual effects our actions have on them.”
“I thought it was brilliantly crafted with a real artist's eye. The director created very real, raw characters and settings too often atypical of Hollywood. I also thought the music was perfect, adding poignantly to the emotional impact of the story. The acting was excellently nuanced as well. Everyone should see this film. It leaves you a better person for having pondered the issues.”
This film exemplifies why the industry needs to keep encouraging the making of independent films. This film couldn't have come from a major studio. The cinematography was cutting edge and experimental and it worked well to saturate the viewer with the mood of each part of the film.
“A Thoughtful and intelligent movie. The director accurately captured the plight of the characters, the scenes were artfully staged. Great overall impact. This is a movie you can and should see more than once.”
“Easily one of my favorite movies at the Festival. Director Charles Oliver was able to humanize a child abductor, and that's no easy task. Minnie Driver was phenomenal...the closing scene between her and Jeremy Renner in the prison is both amazing and chilling at the same time.”
“We find reason to hope and believe that good can be found in even the most terrible situations. This film was clearly crafted with fierce attention to detail, and the combination of direction, cinematography, performance, and sound is wonderful to take in. There's confidence and clarity in the way the audience is carefully guided through the various environments of the film. The film leaves you with many things to think about – valuable things – and reason to empathize with someone that maybe you wouldn't have given much thought to a little less than two hours before.”
“This is a movie I would recommend to friends and it is a movie that keeps you talking and thinking long after you have seen it. I am so glad I got to see it. I can't wait to see it again.”
“I loved this movie. I couldn't stop thinking about it for the next few days. Very few movies do this for me (Million Dollar Baby comes to mind). The idea that opposing sides of an extreme situation could both be so believable and relatable, that's the genius of this film in my opinion. I think if I had rated it right after I saw it, I probably would have given it 9 stars. But that wouldn't be right, because it doesn't take into consideration the impact it had on me. I want to take my two teenagers. It's one of those few thoughtful films that everyone should see.”
I think the sign of a good film is when you find yourself talking about it after the screening. To tell you the truth we found ourselves discussing some of the issues that we found interesting within the film (their imagined lives, when we has realized that he boy was dead, Ana's confusion at the grocery store, and so on), 3 days after the projection. The element I enjoyed the most was the fact that they both had a vision of what the other person's life was prior to their encounter, and leading up to their meeting at the prison. At first I thought Take was a great parallel story of two lives intersecting but, it rendered me speechless when we learn about these fictive assumptions... I was truthfully speechless! All to say that I hope Take will have the opportunity to play in many festivals, and that it will have a long life in the theaters. It is superbly scripted with exquisite performances, and of course, truly well directed!
“Went to see it with a few friends - wasn’t expecting to be completely glued to my chair, sobbing, and feeling such an emotional attachment to each character. The complexity and magnitude of the script was overwhelming and the acting incredible. A powerful movie, displaying a fluid state of events that changed my perspective on each character as the events surpassed, highlighting how complex human nature is, how our experiences shape us, and influence the decisions we make. A powerful ending of forgiveness engulfed in pain and suffering, yet redemption.”
- IMBD Blogs >