Divergence

I only just learned of this movie recently. I'm sorry it took me so long to discover it. This film is like visiting a town for the first time and happening on to one of the most wonderful museums or restaurants you have ever visited. The acting and the script are perfectly believable and deeply moving. Every actor, every scene is special. This story goes right to the heart and remains there. Congratulations and thank you to every single person that made this film possible. It is a beautiful gift to be treasured. I remember a blurb on the cover of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- "More, Mr. Kesey, more!" If I can borrow that entreaty, More, Mr. Donnelly, more!

Divergence is a lovely, beautifully-photographed film written, directed and performed with an unusual level of confidence.

Rather than detail the plot, which has been covered in other comments, I'd love to share some of the details that made the movie such a pleasure:

*Haunting, captivating and mature performances by all of the lead actors. Tracy Ann Wolf's "Clare" (who I figured out 1/2 way through the movie reminds me equally of Joely Richardson and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchel) is a tragic beauty, but you can always see the light in her eyes and potential for redemption. Jakob Hawkins' "Tim" could easily become a maudlin drip, but his appeal to both "Clare" and "Heidi" is entirely believable.

*Writer/Director Patrick Donnelly refreshingly avoids clichés in crafting the secondary characters. The "Main Character's Male Best Friend" is usually presented as a clown, jerk or manipulator. As written by Donnelley and acted by Bill Hidell, "Dave" is a smart, sweet, genuine guy who one wants the best for his BFF. And even more annoying cliché is "Best Friend's Wife/Girlfriend" who is invariably presented as a joyless shrew. Jeannine Kaspar's "Jill" in her few scenes proves a this type of character can be both mature and likable. The "Other Girl" is usually shown as sickly sweet, desperate, or slutty. Marci Adilman's "Heidi" has an infectious smile, charming manner, and good heart. She's not too good, or too bad for "Tim" - just the wrong girl at the wrong time and we have confidence her true love is right around the corner.

*Well thought out details fill the movie, from "Clare's" neglected bangs, to the charm of the sea-side cottages to "Tim's" surprising physical transformation.

Divergence was an unexpected gem of a movie. Smart, subtle, full of heart and soul and arresting performances.

This incredible film was so moving because it is so realistic and so relevant to events that are happening all over the country today. Men and women are struck so hard with the tragedies they are seeing during their tours of duty all over the world. Men and women at home are effected with tragedies that grip them so completely. This is a wonderful film of survival and recovery. The acting is phenomenal and the filming is beautiful. One would never know this was a first time effort for the Director/Writer, Patrick Donnelly. He brought a slice of American life to the screen with grace and realism. This is truly a "best film" that everyone should enjoy.

By Lisa Nesselson (Reviewed at Avignon Film Festival, France.)

An affecting portrait of two wounded souls healing as best they can on the New Jersey Shore in early 2003, "Divergence" boasts nuanced, quietly devastating perfs by relative newcomers Traci Ann Wolfe and Jakob Hawkins. Profoundly American in its evocation of duty and personal responsibility, pic also allows that there's such a thing as grief that sheer gumption can't remedy. The specter of America's presence in Iraq colors every frame. First pic by d.p. Patrick J. Donnelly shows talent all around. Lanky U.S. Army airborne helicopter pilot Tim Lawson (Hawkins) shows up on his chilly, sparsely populated home turf. On temporary leave due to a bad leg wound, Tim isn't terribly talkative with his more voluble pal, Dave (Ben Hindell).

Thanks to perky realtor Heidi Lipton (Marci Adilman, nailing an American archetype), Tim rents a beach cottage in which to recuperate and reflect. His neighbor is Clare O'Neil (Traci Ann Wolfe), who is grappling with at-first-unspecified grief, possibly related to the events of Sept. 11, but maybe not.

Lithe, blonde, good-boned Clare is cover-girl pretty and far from dumb, but unable to make sense of the overwhelming, senseless loss that has turned her life inside out. It emerges that she left a handsome home to drown her sorrow in alcohol -- so as not to drown herself, if the way she stares at the mighty tides at all hours is any indication.

Living with grief that refuses to be subsumed in distraction, central protags have been thrown off course. By proxy, the pic illuminates in small, relevant ways, how the nation itself has presumably veered off course in recent years.

With it's delicate, tentative rhythms and spare dialogue, narrative both bucks and embraces the notion of "getting on with" one's life in the wake of tragedy.

Stand-out scenes include Tim's visit to his father in a retirement home, Tim's domestic helicopter outing with his former employer who served in Vietnam, and Clare's tense meeting with her patrician mother who cares for her daughter, but may care about appearances more.

Unhurried yet suspenseful venture may strike some as needlessly downbeat, but pic's choice to often let dismay trump solace is what gives it its strength.

Camera (color, HD), Donnelly; editor, Robert Mead; music, Ronen Landa; art director, Brandon Cheek; set decorator, Adrina Garibian; costume designer, Lynne Curtis; sound (Dolby), Justin Gray; assistant director, Yori Tondrowski. Reviewed at Avignon Film Festival (competing), June 22, 2007. Running time: 113 MIN.

I got the opportunity to see this film at a local film festival and was very impressed. This is a deeply emotional movie about coping with the past and finding a way to move forward. The acting was very good and I was able to get emotionally invested in the three main characters. I was drawn to them and could almost feel their pain. One of the major strengths of "Divergence" is the beautiful photography. It was filmed in a very scenic town along the coast of New Jersey. The use of ocean, sunsets, birds, and moon really enhanced this film greatly. I highly recommend this film, as it was a very well executed and insightful movie.