So do you think this movie has any cuts?

The Revenant, the latest film from Oscar-winning Birdman director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, appears to contain more editing than, y’know, almost none, but it’s tough to tell. It does feature the same sort of fish-eyed Steadicam photography from cinematographer Emmaunel Lubezki, and even with the many cuts of a movie trailer, there are slower moments that suggest that The Revenant will continue Inarritu and Lubezki’s obsessions with insanely long takes.

It also might continue their obsession with whispered first-person voiceover, since that’s exactly how the trailer begins. In Michael Keaton’s place, our Inarritutian hero is now played by Leonardo DiCaprio beneath a mountain of hair and beard. After a few opening words, the rest of the trailer is all sound and images (including the use of DiCaprio’s pained breathing as a sort of percussive instrument). This is the second trailer for a potential Oscar contender this week (after Joy) to basically eschew any attempt to explain its story and to just focus on beautiful visuals and its intense lead performance.

Just to clarify things, let’s take a look at the film’s official synopsis:

Inspired by true events, The Revenant is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. The Revenant is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award® winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).

It’s hard to get a read anything about the movie beyond the visual side, but The Revenant sure looks like a serious awards contender. We’ll know more about it soon enough; it opens on Christmas Day.

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