Das Mädchen im Park

What a surprise. Collipol's comments were right on. I guess people either hated this or loved it. I think it's really about how much we all want love fulfilled, how we cope with catastrophic loss, how far we are willing to go to fill that empty space, and how far the people who love us are willing to support us. Weaver made a wonderful transition from happy mom to a cold, disconnected woman, and back and forth again. Any woman with a "favorite child" or a personal and crippling loss can empathize - but I am astounded by the story and the performances.

The young woman who suckers Weaver is off-putting at first, an instant irritant, but by the end of the movie you really want her to love her new "mom" and you really want Weaver to have the daughter she never got to grow up with. It doesn't matter anymore whether she is or she isn't for reals, they become what they both want. Several scenes touched me so deeply I was stunned. It would have been so easy to make this a thriller, or maudlin, or predictable, but the director did not. It was engaging, mysterious, warm, frightening, very sad, sweet, and very deeply moving. The end was perfect; subtle and let you absorb it all on your own. I thoroughly enjoyed every performance - they all were extremely well thought out, well executed, beautifully written and they all added together for a delicate and meaningful story. Do it again! Please.

I caught this movie on late night TV. It started quite promisingly with the gut-wrenching disappearance of Weaver's little daughter while playing in the park. But -- flash to sixteen years late -- mother is still going around bitter, crabbed and half-mad -- an impossible burden to her family, and everyone else. I am afraid I had no patience with her. Her son and daughter-in-law are supportive. Her ex has tried for years to get her out of her prolonged misery, but clearly she is content to stay engulfed in it. She then, as one of her weird behaviours, befriends a pretty little slut (Bosworth), who cons her out of her money, moves into her flat , and roundly abuses her hospitality mindlessly. It then gets worse, all totally unbelievable. Give it a miss.

David Auburn has created a tense psychological and emotionally engaging film in 'The Girl In The Park'. Traumatized by the disappearance of her three year old, sixteen years pass by but Julia still hasn't recovered from her loss. She has distanced herself from everyone she was once very close to and just couldn't find herself being able to connect with anyone. Until, she meets young drifter Louise, a girl in whom she seems to find what she has lost all those years. However, this continuing encounter may have some harmful consequences.

The synopsis may sound a little familiar and yet, when I attempting to predict what the next turn of events would be, I was thrown off with different twists and these aren't just twists that are there for the sake of surprise, they fit and flow very well with the story and add more layers. Auburns use of subtlety is remarkable. Whether, it's in his storytelling, execution, his actors performances and the overall look of the film, it is handled with care and great attention to detail. Music is used effectively and the cinematography is brilliant.

The writing is solid. The dialogues are simple but few words say a lot. Many argue that the subplots of the supporting characters weren't developed enough. That may be true but perhaps it adds more to Julia's story because she has shut herself away from everyone that she barely knows about them anymore. I still thought the minor characters were rich in character even though have had little screen time. None of them felt like clichés or tokens.

Sigourney Weaver deserves special mention. How she can look so convincing as a 30-something year old and a 50-something year old is incredible. I'm not only referring to the makeup (though this department certainly deserves credit) but Weaver's subtle change in mannerism, movement and body language really does make it look like almost twenty years have passed. This is easily one of the films that showcases her talent.

Kate Bosworth does a fine job of holding her own in the presence of Weaver. The way she downplays her part of a drifter who sees a chance in Julia and wants to belong is done with sincerity. Alessandro Nivola is quite good and Keri Russell is a delight to watch even though her appearance is limited.

With the lack of clichés and melodrama, the director's sincerity and the film's authentic look and performances, 'The Girl In The Park' is a refreshing and involving view.

My only criticism of this film is in the casting of the son, Chris. He is shorter than Sigourney Weaver and this is genetically impossible. That said, all the actors did a great job. And just HOW did SW look so convincing as both a thirty and a fifty-year old? Some credit to the make up department, sure - but it was the subtle change in the set of her jaw, the rigidity of her body vs fluidity in the early scenes ... The fact that the secondary characters aroused curiosity added to the atmosphere - someone els has complained that their potential stories were not developed. But this was all part of Julia's withdrawal from the World, her loss of interest in anyone after she lost her child.

While Girl in the Park is never great, it manages to be a solid drama about the loss of a young child and its effect on a mother (Sigourney Weaver).

Everything here is well crafted but a little bland and formulaic. We meet tons of characters who have the seeds to provide good drama but many of them (The ex husband, the son, the romantic interest at the office, the daughter in law and her pregnancy) are left with unfinished business by the end of the movie, feeling like little more than plot points. As for Louise, for all the flashiness she offers, she brings very little to the table in the end.

In the end, you will feel you have spent a nice evening. The cast does a nice job. Sigourney Weaver gives some soul to her performance and Kate Bosworth is very well cast and provides some sparks and a nice contrast to Weaver.

It's a good movie, but not a great one. Some more development, some twists and turns in the second half of the movie would have considerably improved the movie. Instead, we're left with a cheap Hollywood ending, the catalyst of which is too dumb to even write down here.

Worth watching as a rental if you like dramas.