Tully

Based on a short story by O. Henry prize-winning author Tom McNeal, Tully by first-time director Hilary Birmingham, is a subtle portrait, set in a sleepy farm community somewhere in Nebraska, of a family whose past shows up without warning, shattering the trust and unity that had been built over the years. Originally called The Truth About Tully, the film won praise at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival, but lost several distributors to bankruptcy and had to wait two years until it achieved a limited release last November. Its current release on DVD gives us a chance to see what we've missed.

Rancher Tully Coates, Sr. (Bob Burrus) mourns the death of his wife while struggling to raise two sons and keep up his farm. Coates keeps a lid on his feelings, and no one suspects the powerful secrets he has hidden. Burrus is perfect as the weathered old farmer who has forgotten how to enjoy life and only smiles at Claire (Natalie Canerday), the clerk at the local convenience store. His two sons are very different, but both are good hearted. Tully Jr. (Anson Mount) is a macho ladies' man who seems unwilling to make commitments, content to skim along on the surface of life. His brother Earl (Glenn Fitzgerald) is withdrawn and shy with girls, a movie buff who spends his days going to the cinema or preparing his steer for the County Fair.

Into this mix comes Ella Smalley (Julianne Nicholson), just home from college to do an internship as a veterinarian in a local hospital. She hangs out with Earl, but wants to be friends with Tully. Nicholson's performance is amazing, bringing an intense authenticity to her role. Tully, meanwhile, is pursuing April (Catherine Kellner), a stripper who refers to what she does as burlesque but senses the possibility of something more than friendship with Ella.

There is not much dialogue, but the action does not require much. When feelings become troublesome, each escapes to their own place where they can be alone. Ella goes to a swimming hole, Earl goes to the movies, and the father parks his truck and downs a six-pack. When bits and pieces of a family secret begin to be revealed and the farm is threatened with foreclosure, events force Tully to face the realities that the term "coming-of-age" implies. The film moves at a languid pace for most of the time but builds toward an emotional climax, as the lazy summer is jarred by an unexpected event, changing lives forever.

The people in Tully are not the small town yokels of movie clichés. They are smart and sensitive, and not the least bit cool or cynical. Probably too wholesome for many who prefer their role models to be a bit more jaded, these people talk to each other with dignity and respect, and I cared about them. In lesser hands, Tully could have become the stuff of soap opera, yet guided by Birmingham's sure direction, it goes straight to the heart.

A fine little family drama I had never heard of, but which I'm now completely glad that I've seen.

The title character of "Tully" is a young man struggling to come of age on the farm he works with his father and younger brother. Rebellious in spirit and darkly good looking, he's more socially and sexually experienced than his brother, and has a more contentious relationship with his dad. When a family secret surfaces, though, it becomes apparent that his bravado masks a great deal of insecurity, and proves that though he may be mature in some ways, he has a lot of maturing still to do in others.

"Tully" has a quiet, low-key quality to it that I very much liked. It has a feel for the natural rhythms of rural life and the people who inhabit it. Grand epiphanies, emotional showdowns and the other stuff of traditional family dramas are not present here; instead, turning points and realizations take place subtly and quietly. Many times it's the moments of silence that convey more than scenes filled with dialogue.

The acting is tremendous, and the actors themselves inhabit these characters naturally and flawlessly. Even Tully (Anson Mount), who's supposed to be charismatic and handsome, is charismatic and handsome in the way that someone would actually be in real life, not in the way that movie stars are.

Grade: A

Produced by Hilary Birmingham, Annie Sundberg, and included in the Best Feature nomination of the Independent Spirits Awards, this film is definitely a must-see movie.

The film's themes are not too distant from those of About Schmidt, but comes through within incredibly heartfelt and genuine feel about the story. It's easy to get totally hooked to all the characters. It's brilliantly shot, the characters molding in with the landscapes in a manner that exposes their soulful moods.

Truly a solidly good story with an honest, thought provoking, and poignant coming-of-age revelation. Absolutely top-notched performances from a lovely cast ensemble of actors! It's a farm drama that creeps with hidden dark family secrets that gradually unravel – at a cool, quiet, and awesomely engaging pace. Watching the mesmerizing performance of charismatic Julianne Nicholson alone is worth the price of a regular tix. For me, she's the American version of Leslie Carron; for a friend, she's the American version of Emily Watson! Awesomely poised, simple, and charmingly charismatic, she's extremely captivating! And Glenn FitzGerald and Anson Mount – in their roles as the Coates brothers - are two gorgeous youths who couldn't be more different in their personalities and traits, will sweep the audience along a truly heartfelt journey of unsuspecting events that are beautifully knitted together to their final twists. Catherine Kellner's haughty April character is just as credible as the rest of the fine cast of actors. One will even find Natalie Canaday's counter-sales lady a real sweetheart! But Bob Burrus in the role of Tully, Sr. is overwhelming in his performance as the father with the bottled-up feelings. Yep he's definitely more convincing than Jack Nicholson's Schmidt role!

This is one of those few movies that deserve a mighty applause for the good foresight of the casting agent(s). Every once of action, event and expression seems so realistic. It's easy to get so totally swept away by every character. The film does succeed in delivering honest moods of romance, parental and sibling relationships, love, seduction and jealousy, or relationship. There exist that unique sensibility that does not equate with cheesy sexual exploits or crudity. It's not even plastered with any of those distasteful hip-hop extravaganzas to draw the younger viewers. Nice easy dialogue to follow.

According to Director Hilary Birmingham at the Q&A session I attended, the unfortunate delay of the film's release was caused by unforeseen mishaps in distribution deals; firstly by an American-Canadian distribution partnership that went sour, and subsequently by one that went bankrupt. I understand that this film will be released here, sometime in January. As a low-budget film, it definitely deserves no less than a solid A rating!

Saw this movie twice and would be willing to see it again!

TULLY (2002) **** Anson Mount, Julianne Nicholson, Glenn Fitzgerald, Catherine Kellner, Bob Borrus, Natalie Canerday, John Diehl, V. Craig Hedenreich. Novice filmmaker Hilary Birmingham (who co-wrote the screenplay with Matt Drake, adapting a short story by Tom McNeal) beautifully captures the visage of rural small-town America(na) in contemporary tones in this wonderfully modulated tale about a middle-aged farmer (Borrus, a truly amazing low-key yet ultimately heartbreaking performance as a man who has sacrificed so much and tenuously hanging onto what is his own: his land and family) and his two sons (Mount as the titular protagonist and Fitzgerald are equally poignant and excellent) who face a moment from their past that clearly will alter their precarious futures. Nicholson (sporting cinema's sexiest freckles) as the family's friend is sublimely perfect as a veterinarian school student who returns to town arousing the boys' one more time. Gorgeously shot by John Foster and a gentle, pensive score by Marcelo Zarvos elevates this true sleeper gem as one of the year's very best.

Anyone who knows somebody from a Kansas farm and has been to Kansas will get homesick for them just looking at the movie. Tully touched me so much I cried, which is normal for me when I watch a heart warming story but this time when I was crying I didn't realize it until I had salt water running down my cheeks and I was like what is that? When you don't know your crying somebody is doing something right. At first I was like what's up with all the ice cream until you see the very end of the movie then you know....it really just hurts the heart but you know if you were in the same position you just might do the same thing.