Brick is a fascinating movie that uses skillful combination of psychological drama, sci-fi mystery, and a thriller to deliver an incredibly tense, mind-blowing picture. I was most impressed by the way in which the theme of confinement, human resilience and innateness to escape are examined in the story due to the unexpected emergence of some mysterious brick wall encircling an apartment building. The surreal, yet simple concept of the film, attracts the audience into the tense, but gradually, get more unsettling state due to the desperation expression of the characters.
Both Matthias Schweighofer and Ruby O. Fee are sincere and subtle in their acting performances and lend the film its emotional rootedness in a surrealistic setting. There is a growing affection between them, which, in the midst of increasing tension, gives a certain credibility to what could have been a too-claustrophobic location. The intentionally stylish cinematography, lighting and production design contribute to this initiative to be trapped that puts everything in a rather awkward mood full of uneasiness and curiosity. The soft score blends with the images complementing each other and increasing the effect of suspense in the movie without being too loud.
Finally, the thing that touched me the most was the fact that the sense of dread and wonder that Brick produces has a rather visceral appeal and is not based on a heavy reliance on exposition. It raises the question on the way that a human reacts to things that he/she is not sure of, focusing on cooperation and trusting in a tight spot. The mysterious mood is created by certain unclear sci-fi elements as well, but the ambiguity also works to the advantage. Long after watching the movie, I could not erase it out of my mind as I reminded me how strong the human soul was when connected to another human being in the face of the unexplainable.
