Rating of
3/4
Deftly Crafted
Franz Patrick - wrote on 11/10/08
This film is deftly crafted into three parts: the way the characters are prior to a life-changing event, the life-changing event, and the way the characters are after the life-changing event. As unoriginal as that sounds, writer-director David Gordon Green is able to do something different–may it comes to different camera angles, unexpected twists in events and character development, or fusing genres together in some scenes. This film definitely reminded me of “The Ice Storm” because of its setting, “Gone Baby Gone” during its most emotional moments, and “No Country for Old Men” during the heart-pounding scenes. Green was able to take all of these things, make it his own, and tell a poignant story about relationships, flaws, and the virtue of forgiveness. I’ve never seen Kate Beckinsale so natural and powerful as she is in this film. Out of all the characters, I thought she excelled most when it comes to being vulnerable yet scathing at the same time. Sam Rockwell’s transition from being a wounded bird to an unstable venomous python is a revelation. But it’s also shocking mixed with a little bit sadness. Michael Angarano and Olivia Thirlby are great character foils for Beckinsale and Rockwell. It made me wonder whether the two teenagers will end up as miserable like the two adults or whether they’ll take the opposite road and be happy, healthy people. Thirlby surprised me in this picture because she knew how to be subtle at the right moments so she dominated each scene she’s in. As for Connor Paolo, I’ve mostly seen him in as a clean-cut good younger brother in “Gossip Girl” and a psychologically damaged criminal/victim in two episodes of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” so I was kind of disappointed that his character here wasn’t as developed as I liked for him to be. I waited for his character to add to the drama but it never happened so it made me question his role in the overall scope of things. Undeveloped characters like Paolo definitely made this picture less powerful but it’s still touching and devastating in its own right. Green has a certain talent that I look for in a director; this film made me want to check out his filmography and watch his other films.
