Convictions

I was very surprised by this film. I expected it to be a typical, simple story about the mother of a murder victim. Instead, I found it to be a humane exploration of what it is to hate, and to live life in the past. There was no black and white, no "goodies" and "baddies", rather the characters were real humans, with real strengths and weaknesses. The two principles were played in a sympathetic and sensitive manner. The film is slow paced, but that matched well the phases of this film, first, the exploration of hatred, and then the increasing understanding of mother and murderer.

Nothing about the story seemed contrived, and each of the plot elements followed logically from what had gone before.

The message of this film. Love yourself and others, live in the now, but do not forget the past.

One gets the feeling that the people behind this film truly believed in its story. "Convictions" is the true story of a mother,(Blair Brown) who's son has been murdered 9 years earlier, and her attempt to deal with the bitterness and resentment she harbors as a result of her loss. Told with compassion and understanding, it's worth checking out, especially for those interesting in the healing process.

This film also contains terrific performances from a stong cast, however Blair Brown and Robert Moloney(as son Greg) really shine.

Very well made, simple. Some would say the characterisation approaches cardboard. But that's absolutely the point.

Choices were made, big, difficult, choices, in order to make a very rare film about a very rare subject in today's societies. But a subject which has an absolutely central importance, given how much today's societies are moving in the direction of feudalism, collective 'gang-led' thought, status and revenge based life. More and more people are living by the perception of that a successful life means being hard, so hard, and having power over others rather than thought and understanding. The media seems to encourage it often - film, TV, news, current affairs, journalistic comment.

This very rare film is amazing in its simplicity, It resembles a stage play, with scenes painted by basic numbers and with very best acting.

It should be seen in all schools by 10 to 14 year olds at eldest. But then again around 16, when people may be leaving school and the adult societies' prescriptionism of ego in bravado and the weakness of being perceived to be successful in 'successful' emotional appearance has begun to take hold. This type of society has been increasing steadily, unfortunately - to the point where every 2nd 'judicial' summary seems to describe the convicted as a monster in some way. This was very rare 30 years ago, when, generally, criminals were still seen as men and women who made mistakes or whose whole lives were sidetracked but who still had potential for reform.

Today, we might sum up a huge part of society as "throw away the key" societies. When we sit and wait and mean that about every person who gets it wrong and we cower, ready to bolster our own sense of status and social relevance by using that phrase over and over - it seems this really must mean that we are becoming or have become a "throw away the key" society. For the more it goes on, the deeper it gets, it can seem increasingly that's what the society both reaps, but also deserves itself and for itself.