Now, the good. The Colour of Spring is presented in black and white, and the director of photography Dillon Garland does an exceptional job with every single frame and set up. Filming in black and white requires more preparation and planning than your average movie as one is dealing with contrasts in tone between subjects and backgrounds. Garland effectively uses the medium to convey the right tones while at the same time composing each scene like works of art with a Hitchcock vibe to the intense moments. This feat is equally impressive, considering The Colour of Spring is primarily a drama with mere hints of noir at the end. It’s hard to make people talking interesting, and Garland’s visuals are crucial in this regard.
Now, the not-so-good. The Colour of Spring feels like two separate movies. First is the story about Sam and Sarah’s relationship. Sam screws up big time, and the two find some kind of reconciliation alone in the woods. Then there’s the second movie in the third act when Sarah’s theater company enters the picture, and events get weird in an almost Twilight Zone way. The last act feels like a commentary on pain, using one’s pain in a performance, and finding new sources of pain.
“…director of photography Dillon Garland does an exceptional job with every single frame and set up.”
If I had my druthers, I would have taken that last act and spent 90 minutes on that story. I mention this because Sam and Sarah confronting their anger has been done before many times, and nothing truly unique or profoundly insightful comes from it. Honestly, I’m amazed that Sarah would entertain the thought of taking Sam back.
I won’t go into too much detail about the third act for spoilers’ sake, but this is where the film comes alive with possibilities. Yet it comprises only 20 minutes of the movie. I would think this all-too-brief twenty could be expanded into a full-length psychological thriller. All the elements are there, and there’s so much treasure and insight to explore.
In the end, The Colour of Spring ends us being an average drama about the distance that comes with fame, then takes a sharp right turn into delightful insanity and what could be a much more exciting thriller of a movie.
"…feels like two separate movies."
