Casey Affleck’s New Movie ‘Company’ Slammed by Critics as a Slow-Moving Slog

Casey Affleck is stepping back behind the camera, but his latest cinematic project is already testing the patience of film reviewers. The Oscar winner's third directorial feature, *Company*, is generating buzz for its ambitious, multi-period structure—though early reactions suggest the finished product is far more exhausting than entertaining. The movie kicks off with an intriguing, atmospheric setup. During a heavy downpour, a mysterious young woman named Evelyn unexpectedly arrives at a suburban home where a Christmas party is underway. Even though she is an uninvited stranger claiming to search for a previous resident, the hosts warmly welcome her inside. Sitting by a cozy fire with a hot cup of tea, Evelyn begins sharing a complex story that she says was recently told to her by a terminally ill family member.

From that central opening, the gothic drama quickly devolves into an intricate, multi-layered tale spanning three distinct historical eras. The narrative folds stories inside stories, taking viewers back and forth across timelines set in 1975, 1953, and 1903. Conceptually, the project attempts to explore heavy moral themes, focusing on the boundaries of human empathy and the ultimate pointlessness of seeking revenge. However, reports indicate that the complex framing device backfires on screen. Rather than building suspense, the constant shifts between periods repeatedly disrupt the film's momentum. Critics complain that the movie moves at a crawl, frustrating viewers by constantly halting its own narrative flow just as individual storylines begin to develop intrigue.

BUZZBEAT

*Company* represents Affleck’s first project in the director's chair since his 2019 post-apocalyptic feature *Light of My Life*. He originally made his directorial debut nearly a decade earlier with the bizarre 2010 mockumentary *I'm Still Here*, which famously tracked actor Joaquin Phoenix during a staged pivot toward a hip-hop music career. While Affleck has long shown an appetite for unconventional storytelling techniques behind the camera, early word on *Company* indicates that his latest creative gamble may be a tough sit for mainstream audiences looking for a straightforward dramatic narrative.