Backlight

First off, the film has an interesting screenplay. The scenes in the Mohave Desert are striking. That said, it's difficult to understand the actors speaking during the film, with the constant barrage of the overly loud soundtrack! So, very disappointing sound engineering. Needless to say, it makes trying to watch the film very annoying. Another thing to note, was the angry mom. I felt it was acted poorly, with no help from the script she had to read.

It's of no surprise that Fernando Fragata's Backlight made the list of the Top 10 most profitable Portuguese films by the Portuguese Film Institute. Backlight is without a doubt a great film. It also turned out to be a very controversial film, simply because not a lot of films like this come out of Portugal. Despite the fact that the film was shot entirely in the USA and is in English Language, it's still a Portuguese film, because the writer/director/producer Fernando Fragata is Portuguese.

I have seen many films with interlocking stories and about a lot of different people and their lives, but rarely we find it as emotional and well-made as this. The plot was iffy to me at first, but after the first 10 minutes I got really into it. Backlight really surprised me in the way that actually none of the characters know each other at first. The screenplay was very clever to just have like a glimpse into these people's lives. I thought it made the story unpredictable, and when the heavy parts come, you are really into it and I found myself totally absorbed. The characters are very fleshed out making you invest emotionally in each one with no effort.

The performances all around were brilliant, but to me the stand-out was Skyler Day. I thought her story was the strongest, weirdest and sometimes funniest at the same time, and it was really well written. I thought her acting was phenomenal, and I think she is predestined to have a successful career. Joaquim de Almeida and Scott Bailey were very good too, in a more subtle way. I thought the direction and cinematography was phenomenal. The grand finale has one of the most amazing and beautiful slow-motion sequences in cinema history.

This was not a bad film. It had an interesting story - a chain of events, although they did not seem connect, eventually made a full circle. Dialogue were sometimes disjointed, from time to time, it sounded like 'reading a script', not like real conversation, but it was not that bad. Half of actors were decent; the other half were trying-too-hard. Production value was more or less like a TV show. It was enjoyable until... the music score; it was horror. Why did the director repeat the same score through out the movie? Why did the director feel the need filling every minute of movie with sound (that same movie score)? Why? It really drove me nut.

Backlight is a brilliant script: A great story, with nicely shaped characters whom, one way or another, got me thinking "Sometimes, life is so full of coincidences that it's almost unreal.". Obviously, it doesn't matter how strong the script is, if it's transformation to the big screen is sloppy, but with Backlight, everything works in perfection. The multi layered story has been excellently transferred to the screen and the final product is like a perfectly tuned symphony: No note is false, and as the band plays, you get swept away by their music. One of the reasons for this, is a great cast, of whom I think, no one deserves more credit than others... and then again: I really loved Joaquim De Almeida, but above all the memorable character of Lucy, played by the young actress Skyler Day. She will always shine brightly in my mind. A definitely must see movie!

Backlight is a strange but wonderful film. First it's a 100% Portuguese production but it was filmed 100% in the United States. How strange is that? Very! Production decisions apart, the film works pretty well. The script is brilliant, the acting is excellent and the cinematography is beautiful, which makes Backlight my film of the year, and probably the best film I've seen in quite a few years. The film looks at the adversities of life and gambles with it. The characters are all interlinked in a very random way, it's a little like 6 degrees of separation. The film is set mostly in the deserts of Nevada and Arizona and the director keeps the shots wide revealing the magnificent backdrops and always moves the camera wisely to bring the picture alive. The characters are deep and insightful, each has a serious problem to face up to and the subtle, naturalistic way their issues play out make for truly emotional cinema. This is not a film about heroes, it's a film about trying to make the right choices when your back is to the wall, and the doubts that go with this. Great uplifting movie, especially if you are and have been with depression. I think this film could be a great alternative to Prozac! : )