Gemeinsam stärker - Personal Effects

The film started off very unassuming. Before you know it tho, I was hopelessly engaged in a poignant story told bona fide. The cast was unison in being their characters, and a sense of balance threaded through the entire film. Everyone humbly served the plot. That was truly inspiring, in this age saturated with blockbusters and stars, where we're used to having our senses bombarded with glamour.

Being a sucker for photography, I have to say: brilliant. It reminds me of Darius Khonji's (DOP) Before the Rain...I loved the look of the entire movie, especially the warmth that surrounded Tom's house opposite the rest of the gloom. To me it was metaphor for Tom's heart: honest and good. Beautifully done!

I thought Ashton was amazing. I though the young deaf man was great. Aleks Paunovic=Tom: heart rendering...visceral. I've seen Paunovic in various roles, and every time I get lost in the character! Wow! I hope we get to see lots more of this actor. Tom was as sweet and attention grabbing as John Coffey in The Green Mile.

As for the film as a whole, a sense of oneness of all it's elements, very coherent and intentional. I felt strung by the development of the events. I like Hollander's style. This is a great representation of American film. I hope it does festivals in Europe as well. It contradicts Hollywood and it's a very truthful representation of the majority of American people. Not the BIG people's lives only. I really like that. Thank you, to the director.

What I absolutely LOVED about the movie, is that even though it was about difficult situations, I didn't 'drown' at the end. I survived, not in the big kind of 'SAVE THE WORLD DAY' but in the 'it's possible that things will turn out good' kinda way. To me, this was a story about HOPE. Just what we need these days. Congarats!

PERSONAL EFFECTS is a solid little film written by director David Hollander and the fine novelist Rick Moody. The premise is a study of how the traumatic deaths of people affect those left behind. The story is well told, allows the audience to explore the group therapy approach offered to families of violently killed people - the various means of responding to loss, the differing reactions from those who cannot let go of the hate they have for losing a loved one, and introduces an interesting concept of having one of the characters who narrates the film be a deaf mute young man!

Gloria (Kathy Bates) is the mother of twins - the girl was been brutalized and murdered and the boy Andrew (Ashton Kuchter) has left his career as a wrestler to return to the scene of the crime to mourn his sister and to demand the perpetrator be convicted and imprisoned: his career has been put on hold and he ekes out a living dressed as a chicken for a fast food chicken restaurant. During the ongoing twin's trial, Andrew meets Linda (Michelle Pfeiffer) whose alcoholic husband has been killed and she is left to support her teenage deaf mute son Clay (Spencer Hudson). Through series of grieving meetings and periods of isolation on the part of each of the characters, each finds ways to support the other and a love affair develops between the older Linda and the younger Andrew as he agrees to accompany her to her various weddings for which she serves a planner. How these characters comes to grips with resolution of their losses is well tied together by film's end.

This is not a great movie, but the performances by the leads are quite fine. This is a movie with a message, one that delves into territory with which many are not familiar, and for that reason alone it is well worth watching. Grady Harp

Hollander's 'Personal Effects' reminded me of 'In The Bedroom' and 'Monster's Ball'. It deals with similar themes of coping with the loss of a loved one. The story is treated with equal restraint. The character development is gradual and in accordance with how the layers unfold. The visuals are very detailed and photogenic. It has a certain poetic feel which is further substantiated by the amazing score. I'm actually in search of the soundtrack.

Ashton Kutcher may be an odd choice for the role but I appreciate his attempt to break away from the typecast goofball roles he's known for. Where his acting is concerned, it appears very formulaic. It lacks spontaneity but one can see the actor's effort. It may not be among the best examples of acting but he gets better in the latter scenes and overall turns in an adequate performance. Michelle Pfeiffer easily delivers a natural performance that just seems like a piece of cake for her. The actress knows her craft too well. Ditto for Kathy Bates who stands out in a supporting role. Spencer Hudson is a sincere actor.

The only thing that bothered me about this movie is its lethargic pace which is very slow in the first half. The director focuses too much on the closeups when much of it could have easily been trimmed. Moreover, I didn't understand the need to 'maintain the element of suspense' in the end when the viewer easily knew the outcome (hence no surprise)? There are a few plot holes like why Walter didn't empty the gun before returning it to Linda. These flaws are but a few and thankfully they don't dilute the film (as long as one has some patience to get through the first half)

I suppose Ashton Kutcher is a shoo-in for his role here. Given a romantic relationship between a young man and a much older woman, Kutcher's real life experiences would have probably given him a head start in the auditions (if there was one), since he has walked the talk, and this aspect of the story would come off as no surprise. Then again, for writer-director David Hollander, this could have been getting this talked-about area out of the way, because the story here is richer than what the synopsis had painted, offering an engaging tale about the connections found between lost, broken souls.

The entire film is shrouded and draped in deep melancholy, and even the art direction and sets are nary bright and dandy, despite having weddings, an occasion for happiness, interspersed throughout the narrative. Hollander had crafted a series of multi-faceted characters and they got fleshed out brilliantly through the wonderful individual nuances to bring out the uniqueness of each one, with a common thread between them in having to be found holding onto things from the past, or plagued by the unhappy nightmares that life had dished out to them. For those who have lost someone dear, you'd probably feel just about the same way as the characters here, and especially in that seeking of justice when a crime has been committed against a loved one.

For those who equate Ashton Kutcher with his popular P'unked gag series, you'd probably already know about his flair for comedy, having his fair share of films like What Happened In Vegas and Just Married providing that showcase for his comic timing. For me, there's always this much under-exploited aspect of Kutcher's talent for dramatic flair. Glimpses of it are seen in The Butterfly Effect, one of my favourite films in recent times, and that same angst, despair and sheer quiet determination become more prominent here.

As for Michelle Pfeiffer, who wouldn't welcome her luminous presence? Last seen in Stardust after an extremely long hiatus from the silver screen, her role as the widow Linda brings about a certain sense of regal frailty, being the single parent to bring up a mute son Clay (Spencer Hudson) against difficult odds. Attracted to Kutcher's Walter, their relationship is actually nothing to scoff about, what being a cradle snatcher and all, but because of that instant connection that they share in the pain of having lost someone dear, and having to sit through agonizing court cases that could swing in anyone's favour.

And of course rounding up the star-studded cast is Kathy Bates as Walter's mom, attending therapy sessions to cope with the pain of loss, and learning to let go. Special mention too goes to Spencer Hudson's performance as the gentle giant Clay, who gets to show that he's no pushover when he gets cornered. While that led to some predictable elements toward the end, it wrapped up pretty nicely (though some may say cop-out), in having a rather confusing start iron itself out properly. Hollander managed to bookend the film going full circle, and I thought it was a neat spark of interest at the front in keeping things very fluid to engage the audience's attention.

Personal Effects is quiet, effectively emotive film that got blessed by a great cast highlighting that in moments of grief, there are always those whom we can turn to for comforting solace. It has potential to make it to my end of year shortlist of favourite films, and without a doubt, recommended!

Although an ordinary story, a story which in normal circumstances won't even have been worth being told but the way it has been presented has made its worth. It tells how some times people who have almost the similar problems can some times come close to each other and understand each other. Its a story of two individuals who come to know each other simply by chance while attending their respective court cases. Walter who is a wrestler and physically strong but emotionally sensitive displays a good control over his emotions and upholds the principles of decency.

Good movie to watch.