Time Out of Mind

It's a simple and at the same time complicated film. Complicated to decipher the message that wants to convey through the language of the shots. Simple for the description and development of the character George who tries to restore a natural relationship with his daughter who has not seen for years and to describe his being and his consequent precarious and disadvantaged social condition. A completely atypical and passive acting as well as being completely categorical and absolutely empathic. The film certainly could be boring because the average viewer is used to a faster pace and a more active and active atmosphere, but the message he wants to bring is completely unique and different from the usual, which justifies him absolutely and certainly that it is not a film recommended to everyone.

"Cause...normally, it's...you know, the parents takes care of the kid. Not really the other way around."

After watching "Time out of mind" I felt pity and at the same time a kind of relief coming over me. I pitied George who tries to escape the cold daily by hiding in the waiting room of a hospital or just riding the subway through New York. Pity because he always has to find himself a new coat to withstand the freezing cold because he traded his last one in a pawnshop for a bit of cash again. Pity because usually this money is needed to buy some cheap alcohol. Pity because it's difficult for homeless people to pick up the thread again or to be in order with the bureaucratic whirligig. And in addition, I felt this relief because I'm not living in such a hopeless situation and I don't need to struggle for survival all the time. Relieved because I do possess what these homeless people are missing.

My greatest admiration goes out to Richard Gere who succeeded seemingly effortlessly in changing into a person who's standing on the precipice of society. Despite George's unshaven and scruffy appearance, you still can catch a glimpse of Gere's good looks and seductive gaze at times. Even the social assistant who interviews him notices that. But Gere wasn't the most obvious choice in my opinion. It's the most contrarian part he could play, compared to his previous acting. George is the opposite of the characters he played in "American Gigolo" and "Pretty Woman". As Gere himself in real life, these characters are wealthy and without deficiencies. And still Gere manages to come across as the poor man who can't find a way out of the vicious circle he finds himself in. In other words, I'm starting to like the actor Gere more and more. Maybe it has to do with his age. Just like in "The Benefactor" it's not an obvious role or something to get credits for in an easy way. The only weak point in "The Benefactor" was the story on its own. Gere's acting on the other hand was sublime and admirable.

The story may seem rather long-winded, with a lot of boring intervals. However, it felt like the image sought to include George's everyday life. A useless existence with many moments where he's observing things expressionless, dozing off once and a while and patiently waiting until he can return to the safe city center for the homeless. Not that George stays there with conviction and pleasure. In his eyes, this is probably the low point in his sad life and he tried to avoid it as long as possible. The New York city life serves as a soundtrack. Bits of music you can hear from a random bar, followed by a random conversation held by a stranger on the phone or the loud music from a passing car. And this interspersed with images taken from afar out of different angles where we see George as a key figure in the center of this cacophony. A symbolic image that shows how insignificant he is as a person in this metropolis.

You can hardly call this movie a real crowd puller. And many who saw it, will probably claim that it's slow and monotonous. And although that was also my first impression, the film gradually fascinated me more and more. It's been a long time since I enjoyed an interaction between two totally different people like the one here with George and Dixon (Ben Vereen), an ancien among the homeless whose blabbering starts to annoy George from the beginning. Everyone will recognize Ben Vereen from a TV movie, but he was really unrecognizable in this movie. Although the attempt to pick up the thread again when it concerns his daughter Maggie (Jena Malone), this part of the story seems to become less important in relation to the larger whole. The way the movie ends seems simplistic and minimalistic. And yet the end fits perfectly with the rest of the film. "Time out of mind" at least impressed me.

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This is exactly what I might feel like if I were homeless or just aimless, which I've been at times. The boredom and daily routines stripped down to basic necessities seemed very realistic. It stood out as the only "bum film" I've seen that didn't seem cliché-ridden.

Those who need constant hooks to stay entertained probably won't get it, but it does have its share of tense moments. There's also the mystery of how he reached that state, including an apparent scar that I originally thought belonged to Gere but may have been created for the film. Those who stick with it for awhile may get mesmerized by the slow, detailed story.

The film was apparently not widely publicized, hence the small number of reviews at the moment. A reviewer who glibly gave it one star skewed the overall rating here (come on, people). I highly recommend it for viewers with intellect, though it's about a guy who's lost some of his.

A tough movie to watch to say the least. It's not all shine and glory in this one. A lot of people would say this movie qualifies as "waste of time". And it is, if you cannot tune into the mindset and the general idea of the movie. What it tries to tell us and how it tries to achieve that goal. It could easily be a documentary. Actually some scenes could be have been shot "on the fly".

Gere goes all out for a role that really is tough to pull off. Homeless people are not something most of us are concerned, especially when it does affect us directly. And it is showing with how we handle them or how we approach them (there are a few things/scenes early on, that underline that sentiment). It's drama and if you are prepared for it, the movie will reward you. But if it's not your thing, you'll know early on and shouldn't continue to watch ...

One time I visited San Francisco as a tourist, and the one thing that stroke me about that city was the big number of homeless people asking for money everywhere. I thought: how is this possible in one of the richest cities of the world?? Somebody told me that they are all mentally ill people, but I doubted... isn't it maybe that they just can't or don't want to find a job? I would rather believe in this explanation, because I couldn't grasp mental illness at the level where you prefer to be sleeping in the streets and wandering around instead of getting the simplest job to live with dignity.

Time Out Of Mind made me understand it. I see now that there probably is a large part of homeless people (specially those that remain in that status for a long time) whose main problem is mental sickness, not lack of skills or will.

The main character (George) is a mentally troubled old man. He has been homeless for 10 years and he is "fucked up" in his own words. The only relative he has in this world is a daughter who he loves but can't connect with because of his own mind.

The style of the film is very passive, to the point some people think there is no story in the movie, but that is not true, it just happens very smoothly.

The movie is about a delusional man who tries to overcome his own mind to be able to regain his daughter, who is about to leave the city. It contains an interesting message, and a beautiful story if you don't miss it (hint: try to figure out who is real and who is fictional in the movie).

I rate it with 8/10 because I think the movie could have been clearer/more direct without sacrificing its good parts. It could have been more explicit in the climax, more evident, and still keep the realistic portrait of the mentally ill homeless.