An Echo of Narcissus (2005) Online

This is the story of a young man who was made so beautiful that it turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing. This became to be as he saw his own refection in a river. He was so taken by his beauty that he never was able to break free and so never left that spot in his life.

This film is shot with a sense of lingering beauty that comes through in the slow pace of direction, the delicate music, camera movements and tone of the narrator's voice. Indeed it comes over in almost all of the film apart from, and here's the killer, the actual substance of the film. In terms of telling this simple tale the film does well enough but by cutting in images of children playing etc it seems to be suggesting something more than just telling a story. However there isn't anything for the viewer here beyond the telling – and even that is not as good as I wanted. The rather "cute" way of delivering the conclusion also suggested "meaning" and it annoyed me that I didn't "get" it.

Of course I suppose that that could be a telling statement – that I didn't "get" the film and hence I come on here moaning, but that ignores several things. Firstly, love or hate or neither, I'm coming onto this site regardless. Secondly I did think elements of the film were well done but that is why it did strike me as such a missed target than the substance of the film didn't produce something of beauty to match the delivery.