10 Bad Movies Oscar-Winning Directors Went On To Make
4. The Search - Michel Hazanavicius
Michel Hazanavicius' Oscar-winning black and white drama, The Artist, was stylized, playful and entertaining, but his 2014 followup, The Search, couldn't be more different if it tried.
And this is perhaps what lead to it disappointing many who saw it, the film lacking the easy to watch, spirited personality of the director's previous effort. There's nothing wrong with a filmmaker trying something different, but it's clear that this - a bleak, solemn war drama - just wasn't Hazanavicius' thing.
He tries to make his movie as dark and depressing as possible - and he succeeds - but he confuses 'grittiness' with 'emotional impact'. Anyone can make a movie dark, but is it dark for a reason, and does it make sense in this story, at this moment?
It's all a bit heavy-handed, the film trying to force you to feel a certain way rather than gently guiding you toward a specific emotion, earning your investment in the story along the way.
Ultimately, The Search can be likened to those horror movies that rely on cheap jump scares and sudden loud noises for effectiveness; yes, that can be classed as 'scary', just as The Search is 'dark', but it's a quick, cheap, manipulative way to draw a reaction from the audience.