It’s hard not to admire Jaoquin Phoenix’s work; he doesn’t just pop up any and everywhere and he actually acts. More importantly, he hasn’t morphed into a Marvel Comics hero … yet. So let’s celebrate him while he’s still free of Stan Lee. You Were Never Really Here is Phoenix’s 2017 thriller which won him a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. He plays, Joe, a former FBI agent and a Gulf War veteran suffering from PTSD. As a result, Joe suffers from a host of troubles, all of which are exacerbated by his job — hunts for young girls who are abducted by sex trafficking rings. He’s a brutal enforcer (be prepared for some violence). On this occasion, Joe is assigned to a case involving a Senator’s daughter. The case puts Joe through the psychological ringer; he saves the girl, then loses the girl, then … well, you’ll have to see it to find out the rest. Released by Amazon Studios, female director Lynne Ramsay won Best Screenplay at Cannes. Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity St., Amherst.
