"A Texas Funeral" is one of those strange case of a small almost unnoticed film that gets the most brilliant acclaim from viewers here that see something peculiarly good about it enough to give it ten stars. Not my case. In fact, I think this was treated (in the very few reviews) a little bit overrated. But to each his or her own taste; I just don't see so much glory in this little picture. It's good, decent and pleasant.
I've seen this theme before and to be fair, most of the time it's treated in a empty and shallow way, lacking on cinematic depth, other times treated pretentiously, intending to be artful. "The Myth of Fingerprints", "Eulogy" or even "Elizabethtown" are all similar in a way. They are good films, just like this one, but they're never dig deep enough, they don't look real, the characters emotions and thoughts constantly mixed with beautiful soundtracks, great landscapes and the strange sense humor that takes control of people during funerals. The only recent film I can quote as being the most fascinating over a similar theme is "Fireflies in the Garden", very dramatic, involving and hilariously funny when needed, to break the tension.
"A Texas Funeral" is what the name says and it takes in the 1960's. A family reunion after the patriarch's death, played by Martin Sheen. Gathered here are a somewhat dysfunctional family (played by Jane Adams, Grace Zabriskie, Joanne Whalley, Robert Patrick, Chris Noth and others), the black medical doctor (Isaiah Washington) friend of the family and whose father worked in the family property, and the sick camel, the last survivor of a long lineup raised by the family since the Civil War. And there's the most interesting and significant member of this family the Little Sparta (Quinton Jones), a young boy that decides to don't speak after a reprehension from his father. The frightened, shy and very peculiar boy somehow is the only one who can see visions of his grandfather, who tells the family's story, revealing some secrets and he also asks the boy to make some things to him during his funeral. The involvement between them, and this magical element are among the best things in the movie that also has to deal with dirty family secrets, neurotic parents, jealousy and other assorted things that you'd probably seen it before.
But where's the challenge? If this was just to show that kids must face their fears in order to grow up and better individuals, or that all families have their problem and in a way they always work out and things are fine, then this just halfway through what could be a better movie. It could be worse considering that the writer had to include a family dispute over a saw and a tree that almost ended bad but then everybody laughed at themselves (this is s typical nowadays that is infuriating). As I said, could be. It doesn't get worse because one of the sisters starts to cry and exposes her pain to the others, which was a good moment.
Enjoyable because of Sheen, the kid, Robert Patrick playing someone a little different than his action roles, Noth makes us forget of Mr. Big for a moment and deserves some credit, and the great Grace Zabriskie, with one of the most surprising moments of the film revealing why she cheated her husband. It's a feel good project but it's not one of those that stays with you after it ends. 6/10
