2. You Aren't Pretentious
Now, I don't particularly want to be "that guy," but it occurs to me that Only God Forgives slots very easily into that little stockpile of films that some might call Critics' Films, and others, more pertinently might call Pretentious Wonders. It is so consciously anti-entertainment, and rails so obviously against the conventions of normal film-making, that enjoyment relies on breaking down all pre-conceived ideas of entertainment and art, and judging it on a whole different set of parameters entirely. And to me, building an entirely different set of rules, or benchmarks to judge something by (while ignoring the film's obligations to the audience) says something about the kind of film "fan" you are. There is of course room for pretension - many of the most successful mainstream critics wear their badges of pretension with pride, provocatively offering opinions that are counter to the populus as some sort of statement, but that just isn't how I see the relationship between films and audiences. It is of course foolish to not expect film-makers to be manipulative, but when one so provocatively offers a giant two fingered salute to hype and fans he will have picked up with his last film, it seems even more foolish not to acknowledge his agenda, and give him exactly what he so obviously wants: a reaction that isn't based on entertainment at all.