Colewell

I received this movie as an unexpected... um gift, and I'm thrilled! Usually I only get useless junk like sentimental photos of other people's families, heirlooms, etc. ya know, trash! But this one is a winner!

I feel that there is a lot more to this film than at first meets the eye, but I can't tell what it is. The character of 20-something Ella is never explained. She wanders in without knocking. She wanders on up the road without saying goodbye. She is not Nora's daughter. Who or what she is is never explained nor is why she is in the movie at all. Does she represent Nora of 40 years ago (she does resemble Nora, and Nora comments that she, like Ella, loved hitchhiking as a young woman)? Does she exist only in Nora's imagination? If I understood the answers to these questions, I'd appreciate the film, but the writers, director, and editor just wouldn't give me a clue.

As it is, I still give the movie 6 stars JUST because Karen Allen is in it. She's not exactly a glamorous movie star, but she's the quintessential girl next door. She's not exactly the girl you'd want to take to a party, but she's definitely the one you'd want to leave with. I'll watch anything she's in.

Really lovely little film. An honest and poignant portrayal of the reality of America and aging in America.

A wonderful movie about another part of the American infrastructure faded into the sunset; the USPS totally bankrupted service to the people, not just we saw in this movie, the rural America but same to the urban cities. A service so traditionally trustworthy and to be rely and dependable by the Americans who have been taken granted of its service, now simply falling apart gradually and the deterioration speed is not what you could imagine, fast and deadly.

Telling the woman who has been serving Colewell since 1970 to either considering retirement or relocate to Delany, a bigger city about couple of hours away from Colewell, these two USPS administrative guys said that's the decision she should consider. But we all know that this is a strategy of Mercy Killing, to force an older employee to relocate to a far away from home job would finally force her to quit. But we all know, it's a Mercy Killing, because we know the city of Delany would be on their next batch of closing list. Force relocation sounds merciful enough, but it's actually a part of the Domino strategy, it'll keep falling one after another, the people who are so naive to believe the relocation arrangement, would end up in a rootless situation, a helpless fool.

Still remember the "CHANGE" slogan 10 years ago? Just tell me, what s been changed so far? Now the new campaign slogan is "MAGA". Are you guys always that stupid and naive? Been fooled once is okay, but twice?

It brought tears to my eyes. It's firing on all cylinders and all facets of the cinematic process. There's such confidence in this work. Such pinpoint concentration without feeling cold whatsoever. It's grownup stuff. Not in terms of audience, but in terms of craft. It just feels authoritative. The voice is consistent. The world is lush. There's just so much to love. Allen and Gross are so perfectly cast in terms of performance and physicality. They're cinematic doppelgangers of the Bergman variety. We need films like this now more than ever.