The story appears simple on the surface, but is revealed, especially after multiple viewings, as more multi-layered and textured than Cassavetes at his best. Ostensibly it concerns a 14-year old Catholic girl, Wynne (Agutter) growing up in this post-modern wasteland, who develops a crush on her much older adoptive brother (Marshall)- a crush which perversely deepens and grows into infatuation once she starts to believe he is the local sex killer. This is in itself an idea that makes you sit up and jolt, but as the narrative develops, it continues not necessarily along a linear path but in several confusing and fascinating directions: the family's history, (detailed effectively in chilling flashback during an improvised seance) is a chequered one, and has suffered at least one major relocation and upheaval in the last ten years. At the crux, however, it's the depiction of socialal changes that make I Start Counting so fascinating and elevate its language far beyond the confines of the standard horror film. The major subtext- that teenage girls were maturing more quickly than before, and developing full sexual and romantic appetites (even if in thought rather than deed) but were not possessed of enough discretion to make the right choices- was a step forward for a genre in which its young females had previously been portrayed as bimbo victims (Cover Girl Killer and The Night Caller spring to mind), but not one that all viewers would necessarily agree with. But most striking of all, and possibly the most enduring image which the viewer will take away with them, is of the masterful symbolism with which director Greene invests every shot. Every inch of the Kinch family's world- their house, their walls, their TV, Agutters underwear, bedroom furniture and toys, Sutcliffe's clothes, Marshalls van, the local Catholic church, their town centre, their record shop) - is painted a bright, scintillating white- a white which, by inference, is slowly becoming smudged and corrupted with the dirt of the outside world. White also symbolises, of course, purity and innocence (two qualities Catholic schoolgirls are supposed to hold dear), and it is into this world of innocence that the ever-present red bus (a symbol of violation and penetration), conducted by the lecherous yet similarly juvenile Simon Ward, makes regular journeys. The allegory is further expanded in one scene where Agutter believes she sees the Christ figure in church weeping blood: by the time we acknowledge it, its gone, but the seed has already been planted. Rarely in a genre production has the use of colour and background been so important or effective in creating a uniformity of mood. I Start Counting is as near-perfect an end to a decade as one could hope for, and exactly the kind of film people should be making now- which is, of course, exactly why they never will. A genre essential. by D.R.
一边吐槽流水账一边哭的稀里哗啦，我不太能够分清究竟是电影的原因还是梅艳芳的原因……
粤语版，不完美却已经尽意了，新人王丹妮深情演绎Anita起起落落的传奇一生，有几个场景数度泪目。走的是《波西米亚狂想曲》路线，高光影音场面复刻vs经典怀旧粤语金曲串烧，大致勾勒出她一路走来的轨迹与时光轮廓，穿插着阿梅身边几个最重要的人（姐姐，Leslie，Eddie）。最动人还是阿梅与姐姐的血浓于水，与后藤令人唏嘘的跨国恋，愚人节送别哥哥的珍贵画面，以及03演唱会《夕阳之歌》响起的诀别时刻……表面是重现“香港女儿”的演艺光辉，实际上是在努力复活已逝的“香港精神”——危难时的互助团结，不服输不认命，乐观向上勇敢面对一切（正如阿梅自知时日无多，在非典之年仍然执着举办公益义演一样），而这也是当下这个非常（类似）的特殊时期最需要的精气神吧。
對於愛香港的人來說，香港曾經有過幾個黑暗之年，2003年便是其中一年，所以即便電影拍得缺乏重點如流水賬，當大銀幕上出現“2003年”的字樣時，便已經開始想哭了。王丹妮很努力在模仿梅姐，儀態、動作、嗓音，有幾個場景真的蠻像的，只可惜她氣質和梅姐不像，缺乏台風也少了大氣，離“香港女兒”梅艷芳太遠了。對於一部以梅姐為主角的電影，沒有唐唐無可厚非，沒有梅媽和何菇是為了免去不必要的麻煩，然而即便近藤真彥被換了個名字出現在電影裡，他的戲份也太多了，而他這個絕世渣男也洗太白了。
前面还觉得有在用心呈现她的出道与巅峰，恋爱之后就落俗了，掌掴事件开始更是不知所谓。王丹妮可能很努力但没有一点刚毅和侠气，像个亦步亦趋的小学生，后半段索性连形都不似了。至于那些不能出现的人和事你说要拿来扣分呢也未必公平。
过程中真是各种泪目，结束更是一个爆哭。当然，倒也不是影片有多好，只不过由之想起了曾经的梅艳芳，以及那个满是回忆的童年。影片本身真的太普通了，如此的浮皮潦草，毫无重心，好像一个大型人物流水账，你哪怕就拍那场谢幕的演唱会，应该也会更精彩一些吧。现在的感觉基本就是什么都想拍一点，却又什么都不能拍太深。连众多角色的名字也只能用英文名代替。除了去世的张国荣可以用全名，也是太刻意了一些。以及，我也觉得这片稍微有点消费张国荣了，为什么会在梅艳芳的电影里，拿那么多时间讲张国荣的去世和葬礼，也有些太明显了。感人的部分，其实都是属于梅艳芳的部分，终究，是部有些可惜的电影。
想象一下梅艳芳上《艺术人生》，本片就是这样平白而无趣。倒是众多男演员，林家栋、白只、刘俊谦、中岛步（尖叫！！！），一字排开，各展所长，颇有可观之处。衬得女主演戏就是虚张声势、底气不足。不过说到底，巨星是天生的，能演好巨星的，也定然不是泛泛之辈。譬如张曼玉，譬如拉米·马雷克。
电影过于平铺直叙了，拍摄手法也很单一，没有很好表现出梅艳芳的神韵和气质…人物塑造不知道为什么很单薄。很多剧情的安排很莫名其妙，什么都想要顾到的传记片看起来真的很错失重点。不过无论电影本身如何，还是要为梅艳芳喝彩，goodbye Anita!
如果说这不是大陆本科生选修课视频作业，肯定是因为里面有做爱镜头吧🙃
确实丝滑，温情向，一个关于成长的故事，男主有点像DTT
这个真的很治愈 看完心里很温暖，也喜欢达妹，但不喜欢她咬嘴唇的动作
Domino好美。Andrew很暖。
加一星给情怀、Mui姐和Leslie。粉丝向电影，身边不少落泪。传记片很容易拍成流水账或者MV，所以这部也存在一些这样的问题。演唱会部分剪辑有些乱，不如波西米亚那样的长镜头来得好。看哭了两次，一次是哥哥离世，一次是最后的夕阳之歌。
歌声入耳，泪湿双颊。
电影的名字就是观后感 一切都刚刚好，即使疼痛难免
喜欢这种温柔，我的心融化了（达妹真的太美了
大概是最愚蠢的一种剧本做法，简陋到梅艳芳年表式流水账，后半段拍得也很敷衍。吃相最难看的，大概就是纪录影像和电影素材的混剪，不断提醒着观众——王丹妮和导演只不过是一部本应更真实更卖座纪录片可怜的赝品。可悲的是，我明知这一切是在消费记忆，消费那逝去时代和那些故人，但不免仍会动情，仍会唏嘘怅惘。仍会更愿意活在这电影里，而非当下。
梅艳芳一生的走马观灯，基本都是主流媒体加小报记者新闻内容的串联，原生家庭也好，（刘德华也好），都没有很深入地探索；但是纪实影像与虚构影像相结合的手法还是很让人动容的，尤其是张国荣葬礼的那一段录像，让很多观众都抹眼泪。王丹妮的演绎有一点生涩，但气质确实很出众；古仔中规中矩啦；张国荣的演员选的就瘦了点...但冲着那么多梅艳芳的原始影像，大量怀旧金曲，总体还是值得一看的；很令人感动的是，片尾曲的时候，全场观众没有一个离场，所有人都安安静静地看完演职人员表，听完最后的曲子。
差点把梅艳芳拍成像是在社会主义核心价值观的红旗下成长起来的歌星。不去细想摄影师为了把王丹妮拍得像梅艳芳而去拼命找角度的样子，就还好。这种电影就属于你不舍得去多要求它些什么的那种，但还是会有不甘只是拍成这样。明明所有情绪都来自阿梅的歌声和她本人难挡的魅力啊。
哭到头晕。也不只是为了梅艳芳，实际上，那一整个蓬勃的时代，江湖儿女，都离开了。
诚意满满，竭尽所能去记录梅姐的一生；王丹妮的演绎超出我的预期，造型和神韵都跟梅姐很像；当然还有古仔、杨千嬅他们的助阵，为这部电影添加了不一样的色彩。
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