ReganRebecca Louder than Bombs is a frustrating movie because it's so beautifully edited and directed but everything about it just falls flat. The film is about the Reeds, a family made up of a father and his two sons, one an adult starting his own family, the other a teen, who are all coping with the loss of the mother of the family Isabelle, a war photographer who died 4 years earlier. The events in the film are triggered because a retrospective of Isabelle's work is being put on and a friend and journalist writing an article regarding her life warns Isabelle's widow that he plans to be "honest" about the way she died implying that the car crash she died in might not have been accidental after all. The rest of the film follows these three men as they stumble around their lives, reminiscing about the Isabelle they knew and didn't know and struggling to move forward. It's a very watchable film, but it's also somehow not enough. The struggles of the film feel self-indulgent and it's one of those films where women exist only to be lusted over or listen sympathetically to the men as they talk about their problems and throw tantrums. Even legendary actress Isabelle Huppert, as the ghost that haunts the family, doesn't get much to chew on. The worst part is that it's a movie that isn't easy to write off entirely. The youngest son is a bit of a writer and the way his text is layered over with images leads to some beautiful editing and some true movie magic. It's just a shame that these great moments don't quite live up to what they could have been if they had had strong emotion to back them up.

Mark Rogers Good films capture the essence of life, of growing up, the pain, the exclusion, the dynamics that are often felt, and less explored.I shared the tears of Conrad during the telling "Walk with Melanie" part in which the self reflection recognizes, in the moment, a special time with an adored person that will never come to anything. The tears flowing perhaps at recognition of that, or that the person is not the idol you make them to appear and that its all for not anyway. Who hasn't had an experience like that during a boyhood crush? The interaction between the brothers is breathtaking and the advice not to share the letter is classic indication of love, of the older brother understanding the pain and not wanting Conrad to further inure his pain.Strangely though the minutes with Melanie ends up being a tonic for Conrad in which he could move through his pain, even obtain reassurance that it was nice that Melanie could even think that Tuesday lunch would be nice with him. Its touching too in that it is obvious that Conrad, and Jonah are intellects and the girl, in reality, through the described misplaced High School hierarchy, probably looks up to Conrad as well albeit this can't be communicated within the high school corridors of cool.I comment extensively on the Walk with Melanie part of the movie because it is one of the classic unsequestered young love moments captured in modern film. So eloquent even within the context of what the sadand tenuous connection was. Walking an inebriated girl home and there being no other connection. With the soundtrack grabbing hold at that exact moment and reprised in the closing credits with the namesake "louder than bombs" perfectly capturing the emotion of the film. The whole film is mesmerizing albeit I felt the mother, played by Isabel Huppert was weak. Perhaps because she was so unlikable. The movie did not accurately or meaningfully depict how a women would chose war correspondence over caring for her children or how and why that would occur. Nor did it explain a women falling for a despicably played Richard (David Straithairn) who I have liked in films but who played an unlikable character in this one. Plus that she is married to Gabriel Byrne. One has to suspend belief to believe that somebody would prefer Straithairn over Byrne. Or that his children would find him so unlikable. Perhaps some casting mistakes but the brothers, and Melanie, and the teacher were letter perfect casting.

CineMuseFilms Most coming-of-age films lean on the romantic comedy or melodrama for shape and structure, usually with a linear storyline that leads to a metaphorical awakening or some other resolution. As you might expect from a Norwegian director, Louder than Bombs (2015) avoids this well-trodden approach by telling a multi-layered fractured tale that looks more like a thriller than a teen-drama. Adolescents who clam-up tightly to exclude the world while they catch up with its emotional challenges are common stories. The one in this film is like a bomb about to explode and his story forms the narrative spine along which several sub-plots radiate in all directions.Conrad is an introspective young war-gamer who has closed off to the world since his famous war photographer mother Isabelle was killed three years ago. He keeps to himself at school and defiantly ignores his well-meaning ex-TV star father. A photo exhibition is planned to commemorate Isabelle's work and a former colleague plans an article that will reveal the secret truth of Isabelle's suicide. Conrad has been shielded from this truth, as well as from the affairs of his father and brother. Over-protection has increasingly isolated him until he tries to connect with a girl in class. It's a complex non-liner plot line with several flashbacks that shift across narrative lines to create the visual effect of a perfect storm of fractured people. Isabelle's war images and her memory keep appearing but the battle we are seeing is raging in the minds of those she left behind who struggle to move on with their lives.The film has an unsettling asymmetrical style about it. You find it in the withholding of truths, in the gender inversion of a war zone mother and a TV soapies father, and in hair-trigger Conrad lashing out in all directions. While the acting is often melodramatic, the filming is edgy with sharp editing cuts and sudden discordant images that feel out of context (like tumbling aerial schoolgirls). It has an uneven but reflective pace that disorients the viewer and leaves them uncertain how the story can hold together. But through the foggy mess of their lives appears hope for better times. More art-house than spoon-fed, the film feels refreshingly free of clichés and leaves you thinking about the impact of distant memories on daily lives.

SquigglyCrunch Louder than Bombs follows a family three years after their mother/wife dies as an article is going to be written about her for an exhibit. The family (a father and two sons) are united and have their fair share of troubles and problems together. The plot is good. I wouldn't say it sounds horribly interesting, and it's kind of difficult to describe. In actuality, it's really just a few guys who are trying to make things work but they're all just living life mostly. I like movies about simply living life, however, and this one is no exception. The story is interesting, and presented in an interesting way. The characters are the clear driving force, and they are great. All the actors are very good, and their characters are more engaging than you'd think. At first glance some of them may appear one- dimensional, like they're defined by a couple traits, but they all feel like there's something more too them. Some are a little weird, especially the character of Conrad, but his character is also one of the deepest, and the most explored or focused on. Everyone else has stuff going on, but not all of it is always focused on. The characters are all pretty realistic in this way and many others. You'll just have to see it to really understand. Overall Louder than Bombs is really great. The story is simple but provides for some interesting characters and drama, and the characters certainly are great. In the end I'd recommend this movie.