One of the last truly great independent movies, director Michael Tolkin takes a probing look at the rewards and tests that come with committing yourself to organized religion. This is a film that does not cheat or take the easy way out when dealing with this sensitive subject matter. Tolkin paints a believable portrait of a woman's newfound faith, as well as effectively challenging viewers to question their own spiritual beliefs. This is a film that asks hard questions and refuses to provide easy answers; it simply allows us to share the pain, confusion, and angry of it's heroine in a unrelenting and unsentimental manner.
The cast is flawless. Mimi Rogers is terrific as the woman whose immense faith gives her a purpose, but she ultimately feels that it costs her too much. A pre-"X-files" David Duchovny brings depth to the potentially-thankless role of the former thug that Rogers becomes determined to save, a role that is fleshed out immeasurably by Duchovny's disarming matter-of-fact portrayal. The delightfully smarmy Patrick Bauchau is hilariously smug as Rogers' fellow swinger, while fresh-faced child actress Kimberly Cullum handles several extremely difficult, emotionally-heavy scenes with a deft authority that betrays her tender age.
The film makes the unusual transition from gritty character study to full-throttle apocalypse fantasy, but Tolkin manages to keep everything feeling realistic and believable. The film contains an array of discrete-yet-stimulating optical effects and scene compositions, all of which enhance the human story instead of distracting from it. Praised by open-minded critics and audiences, but shunned by many conservative types, THE RAPTURE is a moving and thought-provoking experience that manages to be dark, humorous, touching, and disturbing. It has a sort of brilliance that we see too little of in the film-world today.
The cast is flawless. Mimi Rogers is terrific as the woman whose immense faith gives her a purpose, but she ultimately feels that it costs her too much. A pre-"X-files" David Duchovny brings depth to the potentially-thankless role of the former thug that Rogers becomes determined to save, a role that is fleshed out immeasurably by Duchovny's disarming matter-of-fact portrayal. The delightfully smarmy Patrick Bauchau is hilariously smug as Rogers' fellow swinger, while fresh-faced child actress Kimberly Cullum handles several extremely difficult, emotionally-heavy scenes with a deft authority that betrays her tender age.
The film makes the unusual transition from gritty character study to full-throttle apocalypse fantasy, but Tolkin manages to keep everything feeling realistic and believable. The film contains an array of discrete-yet-stimulating optical effects and scene compositions, all of which enhance the human story instead of distracting from it. Praised by open-minded critics and audiences, but shunned by many conservative types, THE RAPTURE is a moving and thought-provoking experience that manages to be dark, humorous, touching, and disturbing. It has a sort of brilliance that we see too little of in the film-world today.