Reviews

People and animals coexist in relative harmony and that existence is much more intimate than we would outwardly realize. As humans, we are likened unto animals in many areas, namely religion and then literature as metaphors. As a child and a Buddhist, we were admonished to observe nature, to learn from it. Such is this work. As people, we are compelled by our various paradigms to follow a path; that somehow no matter the circumstance, that it is our fate. But life is more than existence. It's about living and experiencing things outside that paradigm we chain ourselves to. Gary in sort of a "Matrix" moment makes a red pill decision to screw it all, no matter the consequences. His life is changed in the extreme, leaving his job, his wife, even his children to explore a new life free from the chains of fateful expectation. In the process, in a parallel experience, Audrey feels the pull of destiny as well, from her mundane part in the same world. In a twist of that "fate," she is transformed into a sparrow to view the world from a different perspective to awake the destiny that awaits her if she is courageous to face it. As a sparrow, she is still challenged and threatened by a cat and owl as she would as a human if they were people. She also experienced the freedom of flying as a way of breaking her routine to experience the magic of arbitrary choices and hence meet new people and the substance they might bring to her. This film is full of wonderful expressions of that substance and magic in an amazing way. In the end, she is emboldened by her experience to cross paths to finally meet Gary, two people who decided in their own way to free themselves from their previous prisons to maybe walk a new path together. As for me, a guy who would rather watch a zombie or action flick, this work of art makes me want to reanalyze my priorities as well. If there is any negative feedback to this expression of ideas, it simply means that some of us are still chained to our paradigms and given to fate rather than be an instrument of destiny. Well done to the makers and the actors. This is a diamond in the rough I thoroughly enjoyed.

If you took out the prophetic angle, it would make a great drama on it's own, with all the elements needed to portray a highly dysfunctional American family. I don't particularly care for of these types of themes because they tend to piss me off, but the doom and gloom aspect did keep me watching until the end. Now it does have a dual ending that it didn't need as the more dramatic one was just fine, but that's OK if you like optional outcomes. I was rooting for them to all die at any one point and I was not eventually disappointed. The rebellious kids, old enough to be on their own but still living at home, the unsatisfied wife, the unappreciated hardworking husband. You couldn't put together a better emotional disaster. I hated and loved it at the same time. As for the other reviews, I think most people and critics have smoked too much Hopium and think that every production needs to be on par with Spielberg. If you like disaster flicks that have more character development and involvement, you'll probably like this one.

Geez. Get a life. If you can't figure out that a movie is moving a bit slow and multitask while you watch it, it's your wasted time. I like to shop online while I watch a "slow" movie and focus on it when the action picks up. Come on, get a clue. Not all movies are 8/10. I think of movies like I do music. It all doesn't have to make sense. Sort of like a very cool song with lyrics out in left field. So what. Ok, so this one is a bit predictable and in favor of the villain. Later we find she's more of a victim as her daughter gets killed. After finding out these "guys" were tofu-eating tree-huggers pretending to be males, I was rooting for her, like PLEASE shoot these guys and put me out of my misery. What "guy" doesn't take a Sat phone ANYWHERE where there's no service. Come on. I'm a redneck in the middle of Missouri and I have a freaking SAT PHONE. And a GUN. ALWAYS. Who doesn't take a firearm out into the woods beyond a one our hike and even then. But then again, there wouldn't be movies to torment me, right. Ok, the pace is a bit slow but the acting was above par, so it was the script and not the actors. That's why i was generous with my rating...BECAUSE I have a clue that not ALL movies are directed by Steven Spielberg with billion dollar budgets. The end was a bit of a disappointment when she didn't finish of the last guy. He was TEN FEET from her. Any MAN knows you can cover that distance before anyone can turn and raise a firearm. He has the upper hand especially with a knife in that instance. Again, I was like PLEASE shoot this guy. Oh crap. Not all's well that ends well. I did find some good buys on eBay though.