Written by Taylor Baker
87/100
Invisible Life details the separation of two sisters and the subsequent passage of time that details each’s experience. In that journey along the river of time lies a deep undercurrent of overwhelming emotion. The turbulence that each experiences comes with its own focuses. Featuring one of the best introductory sequences of the year, this is a film that builds deliberately and is rich in empathy.
Due to it’s release date window of early 2020, late Janurary-early February, it feels like a natural bookend to A Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and I mean that in the most flattering way possible. I’m absolutely flummoxed this hasn’t generated more noise. Carol Duarte knocks it out of the park in her first performance in a film, and… Julia Stockler completely floored me. She has all the potential and range that is necessary to be a star.
Hélène Louvart’s cinematography, Benedikt Scheifer’s original music, and Karim Anouïz’s direction are equally intoxicating and exciting. I’m excited to dig deeper into their filmographies and see what they do next. The scope of emotionality is what lingers after the credits role. The feelings of complete and utter devastation that each sister experiences, juxtaposed to the “crude” humor sets a tone that especially in this genre of drama is very unique.
Highly recommended.
