The new movie starring Jenna Ortega has been generating a lot of buzz. I finally saw it, and let me tell you, it’s a wild ride. But is it a good kind of wild? That’s a question I’m still pondering.

The R-rating might seem like a red flag, but the focus here is more on the emotional intensity of the teacher-student relationship than anything overly graphic. It leans more towards artistic suggestion than explicit content. Maybe after watching a lot of independent films, I’ve developed a higher tolerance for what’s considered edgy. The point is, people have different comfort levels, and this movie might not push the boundaries for everyone.

That being said, Jenna Ortega is phenomenal. Her character, Cairo, is a complex and fascinating mess – a privileged young woman with parents who seem more absent than anything else. Cairo craves connection, but not necessarily with them. The film throws you right into the heart of her volatile dynamic with her teacher, Mr. Miller. The relationship itself is a strange mix of genres – coming-of-age, thriller, even a hint of horror with the unsettling camerawork.

Despite the initial confusion, the movie manages to be strangely captivating. You can’t help but be drawn in, wondering how far Cairo will go and how Mr. Miller will handle the situation (speaking of which, his wife is a bit of a one-note character). However, the plot starts to feel predictable at times. Dialogue becomes easy to guess, and some plot points feel recycled.

The ending is the biggest letdown. The build-up leads to a whimper, leaving you with a sense of incompleteness. The resolution between Cairo and Mr. Miller is ambiguous, offering a glimmer of hope that feels unearned considering the complexities of their relationship.

Is there a deeper meaning I missed? Or was it simply aiming to shock for shock value? Whichever the case, it definitely gets stuck in your head, even if the lingering questions are more puzzling than profound.

This movie is a mixed bag. It has a captivating performance from Jenna Ortega and a unique blend of genres. However, the predictable plot and unsatisfying ending hold it back. If you’re looking for a film with a clear message, this might not be it. But for a strangely compelling exploration of a forbidden relationship, it’s worth a watch.

Full disclosure: I wrote this article with Gemini, Google’s AI chatbot. I rambled to it and asked it to make sense of that rambling — to organize my thoughts better, and edit it the best way it can. I have a day job, I want to do other things, but I still want to blog. So I use AI to make that possible for me. I would go through the generated article a few times over. I would go back-and-forth with Gemini to at least make sure it still had my voice and the stuff that I actually wanted to say in my original rambling. It’s great help, but please don’t do this in your school essays or work (if you aren’t allowed to do so, obviously). This disclosure notice, though? No AI here. And you probably felt that because it sucks.