Crush

I was impressed with Allison Maclean's shirt film, "Kitchen Sink," and that was main motivation for checking out "Crush." Well, the film was hard to find and it wasn't worth the wait. It's slow, boring and barely intrigued me. Marcia Gay Harden is always great, but she couldn't breathe life into this nearly comatose flick. The director obviously wasn't concerned with pacing.

There's not too many bad things I can say artistic-wise. It's simply one of those artsy, pretentious films that disguises dullness as subtlety. The plot doesn't contain any surprises. The premise is far from original. So what's the point?

Cristina and Lane are on a car trip through New Zealand, driving to meet a famous author with whom Cristina has scheduled an interview. Their interactions suggest that they have not seen each other in a long time and that there is some emotional disconnection. They get in a horrible car accident. Cristina is severely injured, but Lane (Marcia Gay Harden) is only mentally shaken by the accident. She stumbles away from the scene, and the next time we see her is at the home of the author. She assumes Cristina's identity and quickly forms an intimate bond with the author's daughter, Angela. Soon, she finds that Cristina survived the accident and is in the hospital. She comes clean about her identity and succeeds in seducing the author, and decides to stay awhile. But Angela is a bit jealous that she has lost her new friend (and crush?) to her father, and starts going to visit Cristina as she recovers in the hospital and a warped little triangle forms.

This New Zealand film is a fantastic piece of neo-noir! It is gorgeously filmed to the point where it is impossible to take your eyes off the screen. Marcia Gay Harden is an extremely stylish and sexy femme fatale and gives a brilliant understated performance. Lane is one of the most compelling and perplexing antiheroes I've seen. Also noteworthy are Caitlin Bossley as Angela, the author's coming-of-age daughter, and Donogh Rees as Cristina, the recovering accident victim. These women all give award-worthy performances. The first twenty minutes or so after the accident are very confusing and make little sense (even after the end of the movie!) and the characters' motives are very confusing. But if you stick with the movie you will find the story captivating and very emotionally intense. It is really the story of a bizarre triangle formed between three women. First, we see it through the jumbled-yet-together perspective of Lane, then through the bitter and jealous perspective of Angela, and finally through the innocent but spiteful eyes of the wheelchair-bound Cristina.

The newly released DVD features a perfect transfer and contains a commentary by Maclean and Harden, as well as the horror short "Kitchen Sink." Recommended to fans of "Mulholland Dr." and "All Over Me." My Rating: 8/10.

If you're a person who likes movies that keep you guess this one certainly will until the very shocking and superb ending. I haven't seen a movie that ended so powerfully since Vertigo and I would mark this Director's incredible style and writing talents as quite good as recognized by her commendation at the Cannes Film Festival and her subsequent success in more mainstream cinema. The unique plot of the film starts of a little slowly but brings the viewer into communion with its characters through both distinct sexuality and the angst-ridden characters and how they deal with the early car accident and it's subsequent repercussions. Marcia Gay Harden puts in a riveting performance in this not to be missed film.

Skip Gladiator . . . uh-hem, I mean troy and rent this one.

This film is pretty dark and twisted with lots of betrayal and intrigue. On the surface it appears to be a conventional drama but there is also a psychological thriller aspect as not everyone is who they seem. It sounds mysterious and at times it is, but it didn't amount to much and I found it hard to follow sometimes.

I only saw the last half of this New Zealand film on Sundance cable this evening.

Of course I wouldn't normally comment after an incomplete viewing, much less only half. I'm only doing so because so far there are no comments on IMDb, and this one deserves them. But given my partial viewing, I won't venture any more comment than this:

It's a very well filmed, intense psychological drama among four women and one man. It definitely brings a fresh perspective. It's well acted, and riveting, for those interested in intelligent, as opposed to least common denominator, dramas.

I will definitely be viewing the whole thing.