Set and filmed in Maine, this family drama is adapted from a short story by the late Massachusetts writer Andre Dubus. His tales are peopled by characters whose conflicted lives are beset by thoughts, emotions, and acts of deception, self-delusion, and desperation.
For instance, one man in this film is highly regarded in his public life as a healer of the community; yet in his private life he tacitly encourages a relationship that jeopardizes the very life of his son. Here, too, is a woman of gentle manner, who is a school choral director. But even as she coaxes sublime music from her students' throats, the sweetest sound her mind can imagine is that of a gunshot taking her neighbors' life. And we meet a young man whose Ivy League intellect may not be enough to save him from the smoldering powder keg that he has chosen as his lifestyle.
Nuanced performances are compellingly delivered here by Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marisa Tomei. (Wilkinson, a British actor unfamiliar to most American filmgoers, has also distinguished himself is such period peaces and comedies as "Sense and Sensibility," "Wilde," "The Patriot," "Shakespeare in Love," and "The Full Monty.")
The set design and lens work overseen by fledgling director Todd Field are also first-rate. He does not clutter scenes with superfluous objects, movements, music, or dialogue. Moreover, he pays close attention to camera angles and allows our eyes and ears to linger on simple details that tell us much: a woman's careworn mouth, a rough architectural sketch pinned to a wall, town banter at a midsummer afternoon's barbecue.
Later in this movie, the screen is lit by two or three scenes that are devoid of dialogue, and that begin and fade away so quickly that their passage can be measured in scant seconds, not minutes. Metaphorically, these brief, fade-to-black sequences suggest the slowing-down beats of a tired or expiring heart. The film closes with visuals that stand in stark and haunting contrast to those that opened the production. These powerful images seem etched into the screen, and likely will remain etched in your mind long after you've left the theater. This was my favorite motion picture of 2001.
For instance, one man in this film is highly regarded in his public life as a healer of the community; yet in his private life he tacitly encourages a relationship that jeopardizes the very life of his son. Here, too, is a woman of gentle manner, who is a school choral director. But even as she coaxes sublime music from her students' throats, the sweetest sound her mind can imagine is that of a gunshot taking her neighbors' life. And we meet a young man whose Ivy League intellect may not be enough to save him from the smoldering powder keg that he has chosen as his lifestyle.
Nuanced performances are compellingly delivered here by Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marisa Tomei. (Wilkinson, a British actor unfamiliar to most American filmgoers, has also distinguished himself is such period peaces and comedies as "Sense and Sensibility," "Wilde," "The Patriot," "Shakespeare in Love," and "The Full Monty.")
The set design and lens work overseen by fledgling director Todd Field are also first-rate. He does not clutter scenes with superfluous objects, movements, music, or dialogue. Moreover, he pays close attention to camera angles and allows our eyes and ears to linger on simple details that tell us much: a woman's careworn mouth, a rough architectural sketch pinned to a wall, town banter at a midsummer afternoon's barbecue.
Later in this movie, the screen is lit by two or three scenes that are devoid of dialogue, and that begin and fade away so quickly that their passage can be measured in scant seconds, not minutes. Metaphorically, these brief, fade-to-black sequences suggest the slowing-down beats of a tired or expiring heart. The film closes with visuals that stand in stark and haunting contrast to those that opened the production. These powerful images seem etched into the screen, and likely will remain etched in your mind long after you've left the theater. This was my favorite motion picture of 2001.
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