It would be fascinating to see Cooper drill down on this mode of filmmaking, like Alex putting in the grunt work needed to become a good comedian. There’s no denying from his first two features that he’s ambitious in every way, and can comfortably operate in different technical and historical modes because he’s a model student. But he’s doing things in this movie that can’t be taught or learned. It’s not cinematic ventriloquism; it’s an authentic and unique voice, caught in the act of being born. The alchemical collision of the actors, the style, and the real-life settings result in a film so attentive to fluctuations in the characters’ emotions that watching them exist is exciting. You never know what these people will feel next or how they’ll express it, and the camera’s always in the perfect place to catch it.