Reviews

Last night I started two different films then stopped them a minute in. Both were noisy, flashy, fast edited type films for people with short attention spans who don't want to think about what they are watching. This, despite the fact that both films were supposed to be about serious subjects. Third time was the charm. I was immediately impressed that this was the film I was seeking. It didn't hurt that within seconds I recognized Astoria Oregon, where I spent considerable time back in the 1970s visiting friends who lived there. The people I knew were kind of like the ones in this film. Some were depressed in part due to the often gloomy and damp weather. Some were townies who had adapted. The characters in this film were genuine, friendly, and realistic. It was also great seeing an actress who has been successful in popular Hollywood comic bookish films stretch her acting skills and do something of greater depth and creativity. The film made me laugh with the characters and cry with them.

Start to finish I was fascinated with this film. The entire time I may have had expectations of what would come next, but what then came about continued to keep me off balance. There was an impulsiveness that, perhaps contrary to conventional thought, gave it realness...yet also a surreal feeling. It was very much it's own film yet gave nods to films like Bergman's "Persona", Altman's "3 Women", and Casavettes' "A Women Under the Influence". However this film only skirted the sureal, with some role reversals, and was firmly about healing. The focus was on Brooke Adams' character, and her arrival and departure bookended the film. Nevertheless, there were numerous other characters who needed to move on and heal. It was a type of healing that requires knowing yourself, others, and your role with them and the world.

I would love to see a good film on this subject because it really deserves to be made. Lots of great films have come out of Sweden over the decades, but this certainly isn't one of them. Virtually every film element is uneven and alternating between OK to very poor, including acting, directing, the script, cinematography, and editing. The only two things of any merit are the subjectmatter and the setting in Sweden. Yet it really doesn't feel much like Sweden with all the actors speaking English for some reason. I never give a film a 10 or a 1 rating. Rarely give 9, and only for the very best. Likewise for low ratings, I don't easily dish out 2 or 3 star ratings. Since this was far from the worst film I have ever seen I will be generous and give it a 5 out of 10.

This film is as near perfection any I have seen. It combines elements of a childrens tale with possible science fiction/fantasy, family drama, and psychological or supernatural happenings. The pace is perfection. The settings are lovely. The emotions are genuine. The absense of incidental music give it authenticity and depth. There's much to think about here and I will recommending this film to anyone I think has the attention span and intellect to appreciate such a thoughful and deep effort. This is the fourth feature length film I have seen by the writer/director and easily my favorite. A great family film if your kids are mature enough to grasp the content.

Wasn't sure the first few minutes, then became very emotionally involved with the lead character and remained at the edge of my seat. Toward the end I was crying along with her. I even developed an opinion of what her illness might have been. The idea of appearing to be a documentary really worked nicely. The filming style reminded me of Lars von Trier's "Breaking the Waves" or "Melancholia". Loved the open ending which continued to make me think about it after the closing credits. Will definitely be seeking out more films by this director and lead actress. May rewatch the film "You Can Live Forever" which she also was in.

Ok, first, this is not a good movie. My wife and I saw the current rating of 2.7 and the extremely poor reviews so figured it would be worth a good laugh. About 20 minutes in she stopped watching, saying the movie wasn't bad enough to be funny so not worth the time. I continued to the end. The good things first. The cinematography and locations were fine. The story was interesting and the pacing was fine. Some of the characters over acted and some under acted. There were some logical errors and odd edits but that didn't detract from the ability to understand what was happening. The music was poor but not horrendous. I have seen close to 4000 films and this one was by no stretch close to the worst I have ever seen. Maybe if I had only seen 100 films in my life and had made an effort to only see good films (or at least ones I would like) this one might then easily qualify as the worst. My biggest disappointment was that this film has almost no parts bad enough to laugh at or even cringe. There was one nonsensical part near the end, but to avoid spoilers I will say no more about that. I have seen literally dozens of films that have had similar flaws. Definitely not recommending this film, but felt compelled to defend it...if only a little.

Not nearly as bad as the reviews lead me to believe. I can only guess it was marketed to the wrong crowd. Yes, it was slow compared to Hollywood action films, but not when compared to European cinema. I enjoyed it enough to see again perhaps some time. Although the plot is peppered with flashbacks it's never confusing due to a certain detail that also applied to a bit of comic relief that apparently everyone but me missed. No spoilers...lol. I don't think it was a great film, so could only give it a 6.0, but the current rating on IMDB is 4.4 which is ridiculously low given the good qualities of this film overall. Be well rested when watching and ready to look and listen!

I didn't think the overall movie was terrible. It started off amusing and I was expecting it to develop into something interesting. Instead Brooks just became more and more annoying and actually frightening after a while. They could have at least delved more seriously into conveying that his behavior was due to his insecurities manifested by jealousy. Perhaps it was assumed that all viewers would pick up on this. I didn't feel the film was funny at all. The parts that were obviously intended at comedy were merely annoying and off-putting. That a beautiful and intelligent woman would put up with him was hard to buy. I guess at least in this one regard she wasn't very intelligent. I have enjoyed Albert Brooks in other films, but certainly not in this one.

Since there were no written reviews, and this film has a rather low rating, thought I'd contribute something. It's a great looking film with a beautiful setting and fine cinematography. The acting is quite good as well, with Charlotte Gainsbourg giving her typical fine work. Be forewarned though, it's very talking with virtually no action. Just watching Charlotte perform, observing the location, and figuring out the characters was rewarding enough for me. The incidental music was haunting and atmospheric. The slowness didn't bother me but overall it was just too dry to give it more than six stars. The script needed just a bit more of something, but since I'm not a writer I don't know what. Eric Rohmer, for example, was never this dry and lifeless.

I have seen virtually every film Bergman ever made. For some reason this one is not considered up to par by many. I assume there are things about it that are perplexing to some, like the four major players in turn coming out of character to describe their characters. Maybe it's the animal abuse scenes, or the dream sequence comprised of extra footage from Shame? Could it be that much is left unresolved or unjust? It's certainly no more experimental than Persona or The Silence. Regardless, it's one of his films I return to often because many moments are fantastic and overall it's devastating. Perhaps I like it even more because it's a film that has never got the attention I feel it deserves. I feel the same way about Hitchcock's Marnie. The one consolation is that often such films, in time, get more and more recognition. This has happened with Marnie in recent years. So my point is, I hope anyone who loves Bergman films makes sure to see this gem. As myself, you may find it much better than you expected.

Usually I tend to like films with a higher Metacritic score than IMDB score. This one currently is the reverse of that, but having appreciated Hal Hartley films in the past, plus Isabelle Hupert and Parker Posey...well cool! Anyway, this film was marvelous. Stylish, funny, thought provoking, weird, and with very good performances. Isabelle Hupert perfect in her role, no surprise. Nice directing and cinematography, and we'll edited. Just right as far as music. I am not going to look at the Metacritic reviews to see what was wrong with it that I supposedly missed...I think half the critics must have missed something, frankly. If you expect all the information spoon fed to you and things nicely sewn up you may be disappointed. I can hardly wait to watch it again!

I can't say I enjoyed this one as much the previous film directed by Paul Harrell "Something, Anything", but it was enjoyable, engaging, and interesting. Am happy to see the relatively high Metacritic score though. Maybe I need to revisit this one!

Because of the low IMDB rating compared to other films by the director my expectations were low, however this changed to a pleasant surprise. The film began and ended in a rural setting, and the middle section was urban. Likewise, the middle section centered more on the romantic lives of the main characters, whereas the bookends were somewhat more focused on water rights issues and the conflict between the rural people and developers. The performances were quite good, particularly Ineko Arima. The camera loved her, and dwelled on her often. Like many Japanese films, the emotions expressed were quite genuine and powerful, yet subtle. I really love finding these hidden gem-like underappreciated films! My only criticism is that the film seemed at times like it was edited down from something a bit longer. Several scenes seemed like the ends were cut a bit too abruptly, and then sometimes even the same person would just suddenly be elsewhere. It would be fascinating to ask the director or editor what happened, but alas this will not be. Just give more minutes of footage might have corrected this. However I highly recommend this film!

Telling the film in a nonlinear fashion may seem like a gimmick, but the mixed up pages made it seem plausible. I enjoyed the subtle humor and gentle nature of the film, as well as the little jokes between the Koreans and the Japanese main character. Koreans must really appreciate Eric Rohmer!

Great sets too, as well as story potential. It appears the intent was to do something like a cross between Hitchcock and Bergman, but it all seems more like a cheesey Roger Corman film from the same era. I understand there were production problems which likely account for the unevenness. Guess it just wasn't meant to be.

This film was so bad and so annoying I can hardly imagine it being worse. Almost literally painful to watch. A waste of talent, not funny, and pointless.

I noticed there are no reviews for this film, so felt compelled to write one. Overall it was very poor technically with the sound particularly amateurish. It alternated between loud and soft during conversations, with background noise doing the same. The plot was rather ridiculous and unrealistic...laughable really. I recommend avoiding this film!

I found this film to be quite moving and subtle. At times the main character seemed very much lost, and not equipped to make a decision, then she would do the short term easy thing. This just made her character seem more real to me. It wasn't about her finding herself, but making the first steps on the journey.

There was much emphasis placed on packing up possessions during her moves, as well as the disposal of items. The point, of course, was to ask how much we really need stuff, and how it can weigh us down.

Highly recommended for anyone who cares about such struggles, the battle between the internal and external, and the battle between the spiritual and material. I related quite strongly to this.

I thought this film was very well made given what was probably a very small budget. The acting was very fine, and the story was painfully realistic in many ways. I got it from the local library because it was about a young teacher. My wife teaches so I thought she might like it. Fortunately I watched it on my own first, and decided that she would probably find it very disturbing because of the realities depicted, but frustrating because of the inability of the young teacher to do what was necessary to help herself.

I found myself very moved by the young teacher, and had the feeling that I'd like to help her through her difficulties...difficulties revealed to the viewer, but ones she was unwilling to admit or express to those who might have helped her in the film.