There's a mystery at the core of Chris Malinowski's "Yes, Your Tide is Cold and Dark, Sir," but it's not the one you think.
Certainly the premise - a man returns to his beach-town home, where his father and three kids, all guitar students, have gone missing - is filled with mystery. But Cliff (Malinowski) isn't all that interested in solving the riddle – he's curiously detached from the sensational news surrounding his father. But the questions and mysteries linger, and when one of the missing kids turns up, the town wants answers – and they turn to Cliff.
The film has answers, but not to the questions you thought it was asking. Clues abound - in names, in glances, in odd conversations, even in subtitles - but Malinowski isn't looking to resolve the "plot" suggested by the premise. He's looking deeper, into more personal places. And the more the film reveals (the enigmatic title is explained), the more you realize you're not watching a traditional story arc, but something much sneakier, deeper, and more challenging.
You'd be forgiven for finding "Yes, Your Tide is Cold and Dark" unsatisfying at first. It's not until well after the ending, when all the ideas of Malinowski's haunting work start to take shape, that you understand the movie is about something much more personal and profound than the almost (but not quite) conventional mystery proposed at the outset. Malinowski purposefully begins with a fairly straight-ahead narrative, and slowly (perhaps too slowly at times) takes it into odd, sometimes surreal places. He intentionally frustrates your expectations, forging sideways rather than ahead, until you realize you've been moving ahead the whole time. And he does it all in a beautifully-filmed movie, a loving and sumptuously-photographed portrait of a Delaware beach town.
As Cliff, Malinowski is a strong center, if sometimes a bit too passive (a trap many autobiographical filmmakers fall into). The film pulses with energy when he shows anger and passion (two scenes in particular - one odd argument between Cliff and a guitar student, one confrontation with a man who insists he WILL BUY CLIFF A DRINK, are riveting). The supporting characters, many of whom are harboring their own secrets, are excellently portrayed – standout actors include Jean Brooks, Aimee Cassada, and Gregory Tigani, but they're all very good. A thread about mysterious men in black is a bit distracting, although their leader (Ritchie Rubini) is chillingly effective – their presence is another sign that the movie refuses to bow to convention, but they feel a little forced. I suspect they partially represent a wink from Malinowski – you want a thriller, I'll give you a thriller - but they feel like misdirection. But maybe I just haven't quite figured out their place in the story yet.
But I will, because I'll be thinking about Malinowski's lyrical movie for a long time. I hope I haven't made this very entertaining film sound ponderous or alienating - even the most surreal scenes are infused with accessible emotions and strong, often poetic language. It's a fascinating piece of work that keeps you guessing right up until the final scene, where you discover Malinowski has been hiding secrets in plain sight the entire time.
Certainly the premise - a man returns to his beach-town home, where his father and three kids, all guitar students, have gone missing - is filled with mystery. But Cliff (Malinowski) isn't all that interested in solving the riddle – he's curiously detached from the sensational news surrounding his father. But the questions and mysteries linger, and when one of the missing kids turns up, the town wants answers – and they turn to Cliff.
The film has answers, but not to the questions you thought it was asking. Clues abound - in names, in glances, in odd conversations, even in subtitles - but Malinowski isn't looking to resolve the "plot" suggested by the premise. He's looking deeper, into more personal places. And the more the film reveals (the enigmatic title is explained), the more you realize you're not watching a traditional story arc, but something much sneakier, deeper, and more challenging.
You'd be forgiven for finding "Yes, Your Tide is Cold and Dark" unsatisfying at first. It's not until well after the ending, when all the ideas of Malinowski's haunting work start to take shape, that you understand the movie is about something much more personal and profound than the almost (but not quite) conventional mystery proposed at the outset. Malinowski purposefully begins with a fairly straight-ahead narrative, and slowly (perhaps too slowly at times) takes it into odd, sometimes surreal places. He intentionally frustrates your expectations, forging sideways rather than ahead, until you realize you've been moving ahead the whole time. And he does it all in a beautifully-filmed movie, a loving and sumptuously-photographed portrait of a Delaware beach town.
As Cliff, Malinowski is a strong center, if sometimes a bit too passive (a trap many autobiographical filmmakers fall into). The film pulses with energy when he shows anger and passion (two scenes in particular - one odd argument between Cliff and a guitar student, one confrontation with a man who insists he WILL BUY CLIFF A DRINK, are riveting). The supporting characters, many of whom are harboring their own secrets, are excellently portrayed – standout actors include Jean Brooks, Aimee Cassada, and Gregory Tigani, but they're all very good. A thread about mysterious men in black is a bit distracting, although their leader (Ritchie Rubini) is chillingly effective – their presence is another sign that the movie refuses to bow to convention, but they feel a little forced. I suspect they partially represent a wink from Malinowski – you want a thriller, I'll give you a thriller - but they feel like misdirection. But maybe I just haven't quite figured out their place in the story yet.
But I will, because I'll be thinking about Malinowski's lyrical movie for a long time. I hope I haven't made this very entertaining film sound ponderous or alienating - even the most surreal scenes are infused with accessible emotions and strong, often poetic language. It's a fascinating piece of work that keeps you guessing right up until the final scene, where you discover Malinowski has been hiding secrets in plain sight the entire time.