Lolita

A film based upon the classical novel by Vladimir Nabokov.

Plot:

Centers around the relationship between an older man and a young girl.

Review:

The novel has spawned two dramatizations, one that came 1962 and then this one, which came   in 1997. Unfortunately I haven't seen the first one. Vladimirs novel has reached widespread critical acclaim and it stirred quite a controversy back in the day when it came. The subject which it revolves around is still today a touchy subject. That of pedophilia. 

The history or reason behind the "older man" Humbert Humbert's ( Jeremy Irons ) fascination with the "younger girl" Lolita ( Dominique Swain ) is displayed in the beginning, as a flashback moment, wherein a young Humbert is mesmerized by an older girl. In Lolita, later in his life, he sees a spark of that girl and recognizes that feeling he felt when he was younger and in love. 

Lolita is a curious and playful teenager on the verge of blossoming as a young woman. The interaction between these two characters is really fascinating and they both have complex layers. Do not get me wrong here, this is a film about lust. About how your sexuality can completely consume and control you. But this is also not a very blunt film. There is no sexual content thrown in your face the way it usually is in films nowadays. It is a subtle film, in alot of ways. A foreplay, of sorts.

There is a struggle here between these characters that might look like a cats play with a mouse. Lolita always seem to have the upper hand, of being in control, and Humbert quite the opposite. This is something that I feel is being revised, as the film goes. Perhaps Lolita is dependant on Humbert aswell? What she wants or needs from him is necessarely not as easy to understand. Perhaps its just classical affirmation of her worth due to being desired.

Perhaps due to its background in a novel being written quite a while ago, there is a retro feel to it. A film from a different era, is the impression I get, not that its made in 1997. I recommend this to any film lover! 

Trailer:

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