The morning after I watched Uncut Gems (2019) on Netflix (where it’s been released for international audiences), I felt like I had a hangover: agitated, restless, but also euphoric over having finally seen something I was so hyped for. When we first see jeweller and gambler Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) in his shop at the New York Diamond District, Daniel Lapotain’s beautiful synth work is blaring away on the soundtrack, competing with everyone talking at the same time, the cacophonous sound design made me laugh, in appreciation for how intentionally abrasive it was. This won’t be a movie for everyone as it intentionally stresses you out, particularly with its protagonist trying to crawl out of substantial financial debt by making as many overlapping deals as possible. Sandler, already proving his dramatic chops in Punch-drunk Love and Meyerowitz Stories, goes for cockiness here with this hurried, relentless character. The directors, the Josh and Benny Safdie (whose previous movie, Good Time, I loved) hit a singular blend of intoxicating style and gritty authenticity, particularly how they mix their eclectic cast of professionals (Indina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch) with non-actors (The Weeknd, Kevin Garnett playing themselves) and street casting real people from the district, their unique faces inviting to consider all the stories happening unseen. Julia Fox is also a break out star as Howard’s antagonistic girlfriend. Comparable to The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie and Bad Lieutenant, this also has its own cosmic quality where everything is both chaos and connected. Already a favourite movie of mine for this year, Uncut Gems is recommended.
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