lostatlimbo

It's understandable that a lot of people gave up on the movie right away... there's a lot to swallow and even more to digest. But if you are a fan of mind-bending movies, time travel, or just a well-made independent film, you owe it to yourself to give this movie a chance. For starters... this is the first movie about time-travel that isn't riddle with illogical loopholes and lazy writing. In this case, complexity equals completeness... no detail is shrugged off or ignored.

In the interest of full-disclosure, I should warn you that the first time I watched it, I preceded to watch it twice more the same night... staying up into the wee hours trying to wrap my mind around everything that is going on in this brilliant debut. And then I watched it twice more the next day. Its not just the complexity of the time-traveling plot or keeping track of all the doubles that prompts repeat viewings - its the layers of subtlety that give the film its depth and character. It's a truly rare work that rewards the viewer based on their level of participation (i.e. how close are you paying attention?) Sure, the budget was minimal, but nothing is lost that would have been found with a million dollars in hand. I'll gladly sacrifice film and sound quality for a brilliant story that sticks in my mind for days and days later. And what of the inexperienced cast who brings a haunting realism to their characters? This movie is bare bones in the best way possible... no fluff or glamour to distract from the genuinely unique story.

I was tempted to give up on this movie very early on. It seemed odd, sluggish and pretentious in that 'Touched by an Angel' sort of way.

And it was. The movie tries very hard to be heart-warming and self-important to the point that I imagine turns off many viewers.

But they are missing out on a true gem. Despite its over-earnest nature, the movie succeeds in being a feel-good movie thanks to a well-written story and some superb acting by a group of relative unknowns.

The film touches on 5 very different people's lives and how they keep their heads up despite some very sad fortunes. The film teases at first, giving us almost no information about these characters and expecting us to care about them as they plod along. But patience is certainly a rewarded virtue here as the BIGGER PICTURE is slowly revealed and the intricacies of these character's lives come together in a way I would have never imagined.

The fantastic acting done by the whole cast helps to move the story along whenever it appears to be stalling. Each actor manages to etch out deep, hidden emotions and secrets from their characters that are not fully-realized until the very end of the film. If nothing else, this movie is a great study of "effect and cause", rather than "cause and effect". You are privileged to see how each character has been changed by events in their life long before you find out what those events were and how profoundly they impacted their recipients.

In some vague ways, this movie reminds me of the 1984 film 'Paris, Texas' starring Nastassja Kinski and Harry Dean Stanton. A sparse, slow-moving film about a man deeply affected by an event we don't know until the last 15 minutes.

Looking at it's IMDb page, another user gives 'Paris, Texas' the "Life-Changing Movie" stamp of approval that others have given 'Mind the Gap', and I agree. If you have the patience and can stomach the incessant mushiness, 'Mind the Gap' is the type of film that makes you step back and look at the world (and your life) with fresh eyes. There is nothing in this movie that will blow the average-movie watcher away - but that is precisely why it is so good - it just doesn't work without YOU.

YOU are the 6th story - the 6th character.

'Mind the Gap' only sets up the formula, the pattern.

***YOU fill in THE GAP***

to begin, what the hell did i just see? does any one know what david lynch's problem is? does he have something against logic? does he hate making movies. i felt the whole way through that david lynch was sitting at home laughing at me as a grasped franticlly at little details, trying to figure out what was going on. ive never been a lynch fan, but since mullholland drive got such great reviews, i thought id give it a try. never again. lynch is deranged. was the first part before the last part or was it the part that was with the part before the part. did the blue cube represent treachery or the lady with the blue beehive. its ridiculous! nothing had to do with anything! its as if he made twenty different movies, took out all the important parts and then taped the rest together. mullholland drive IS what got left on the cutting room floor of somebody's nightmares. its enough to f**k with sigmund freud's head.

ive heard and read a dozen times that, even if you dont 'get' lynch's movies, you can still appreciate the art of it. but what art is there to insanity. is it supposed to stir up some emotion within me, like some abstract painting? is the point of lynch's work simply chaos? i think anyone can throw together loads of fickle nonsense, but to make sense out of chaos is what art really is about.

if you ask me, lynch's point to mullholland drive was simply to p*** me off and drive me crazy. i liked twin peaks, to some extent, but maybe thats because lynch was not alone in writing it. maybe he needs a sane person to even him out. if he ever finds someone to work with again, then and only then, will i watch one of his movies. 5/10