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.
先看了《米纳里》再看的这部 觉得东亚的亲情都好苦 生活也很苦 虽然生活本来就苦 但怎么亲情都爱得这么苦啊 唉 中间有几场吵架太共情了看得我爆哭 但我为什么要因为吵架触动呢
叛逆期的孩子，环境改变后无法融入新的地方。与母亲的别扭和冲突只有等着长大才发现自己的任性不懂事。
故事和立意都太陈旧了。美国梦的破碎杨德昌1985年的《青梅竹马》就已经说尽了。凑疫情也十分牵强，没带来什么思考。
华语文化圈特有的家庭关系，心有白马的我们逃不脱亲情的温暖与束缚，爱与恨确实一体两面，两个女儿的英语真地道啊！
只有事件的、轮廓的东西？好像不断在发动情绪，可是背后的机制没讲好？
不属于我的共同记忆，细腻还不是刻意。好的地方在于排布戏的节奏比较贴近生活节奏，不过看上去什么都讲了，实际上又什么都没讲。
很好哭很好哭，足矣。妹妹的話讓人心碎，不加修飾也不隱藏。流暢，不造作，也不貪心，結局的timing很好。演講稿的內容也不重要了。以及體罰真的很噁心。
虽然导演在感慨台湾的“景气”，但是看完觉得台湾还是挺好的，不用为生病发愁，老婆可以去美国实现自我，生病了可以回台湾免费医疗，老公也可以飞去大陆赚钱。至少个体还是有一定的自由选择空间。跑题了，这个片子是台湾家庭片既有的温情路线，吵架是为了彼此更好的靠近。母女之间纵使再有隔阂，最终的水乳交融可能是多数父子之间很难达到的。
首部长片，金马为她推了很大一把力呀，从当初的短片三个角色过渡到回台湾发生的故事长片时剧作上失控了，情节设计太过刻意，情节剧式表达方法的还是写的很棒的像「家庭吵架戏」。妹妹这个角色如此「脸谱化」在前作短片刻画的如此生动的妹妹，到了这成了可有可无的角色。还有场景细节，非典捅喉咙，令我我无法接受一部现实题材如此虚假。
第3452-影片可看，演员表现都不错。
《美国女孩》
和《瀑布》讲实话不太一样，这片子是个单纯的家庭题材。主打怀旧牌（润美国、音乐、拨号上网、体罚、非典）的同时，电影在家庭争吵的细节上做的还不错，后半段的核心悬疑（到底阳性不阳性）设置的也是及格的。主要差在电影感的东西极少，另外要论家长里短的争吵，老一辈大陆电视剧拍的也很多，相比之下这部电影完全没有特别的地方…可看可不看吧。
三星半。孩子在不同环境中矛盾与不适，人生患病并健康之间的心态。
No.7 除了稍微用力刻意了一点外，都很好了，特别是小孩子的英文，最后的反高潮处理也很高级，林嘉欣是真漂亮。
这种不好好说话的状态我在我妈身上见过太多次，很难说是因为电影里写实台词带来的的情绪共鸣还是它就是没那么好带来的抗拒，我三只手都选瀑布。
“如果这已经是你妈妈能做的最好了呢？”
以為是文化衝突，原來是母女衝突，片中的學校太讓人壓抑，東亞的教育環境真的摧殘人。小演員不錯。
“我只是希望她能做得更好一些。”
没有情绪的起伏而只是一味的在压抑中愤然归结于对方的自私而达不到自己的要求，就做不到让观众产生同理。文化冲突和疫情都只是这个电影在当下想要挂上噱头的手段。真正的矛盾与冲突只会在日常琐碎里越积越深，而电影里除了妹妹之外的三人充满刻意性与表演性的吵架，都只会更加重不真实感。相比之下，瀑布在各方面都高出一筹。
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