Independence Day

On the IMDb message board of The Sweet Hereafter, a writer asked users what was the most bone chilling moment in a film. I mentioned the little seen, small town drama Independence Day (a.k.a.: Follow Your Dreams, and not to be confused with the 1996 sci-fi blockbuster). Although Kathleen Quinlan and David Keith were the leads, I thought their somewhat interesting but not very compelling small-town romance was overshadowed by a subplot that could have been a main story in another movie.

As Keith's suicidal and physically-abused sister, Dianne Wiest gave a heartbreaking performance. The dramatic decision she makes that directly affects her abusive husband (Cliff DeYoung, who also does a great job with his despicable character) and indirectly affects the lead characters, definitely chilled my bones.

Weist's performance here was three years before her first of three supporting Oscar nominations, with 2 wins for Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway.

Although I had mixed feelings for Independence Day, I would recommend checking out the movie for Dianne Wiest's outstanding supporting performance.

This, I suppose, largely forgotten movie just aired on Swedish late-night television. I don't expect many people saw it. I only happened upon it myself. But it managed to catch my interest.

It is a small, unassuming movie. Nothing remarkable, but well-acted and warm at heart. It paints a believable picture of small-town life, not just in America, but in most of the Western world. As I watched it I realized that it could very easily be adapted to Swedish conditions. You would really only need to change the names, and let it take place in the cold north of Sweden, with Stockholm the glowing city in the sun. The same longing for something more, and the same fear of the unknown exists right here. I guess it's universal.

Anyway, the movie is well worth watching. It is far better than its recent over-hyped and under-acted namesake.

...with her performance as Cliff De Young's battered wife. When I saw it in the Greenwood Theater in North Seattle the whole audience cheered and clapped when David Keith hauled De Young out of the bar and beat the crap out of him for hitting his sister (Weist) - Weist had grabbed the audience so effectively. The only "Independence Day" anybody remembers today is the flying saucer movie, so this film is nearly forgotten - a tragedy.

This movie is pretty darn good. Quinlan does a good job as a woman who grows up in a small town and has big dreams of moving to a big town. The true break-out performances, though, go to Diane Weist and Cliff De Young as the abused wife and abuser. Wait 'till you see how she gets him back! Good movie, watch it when you get a chance.

This movie was one I watched a long time ago; never the less, I remembered it when i stumbled across it in IMDb. This was a powerful movie for me! It struck a cord in me, and and I have never forgotten it. I was probably only 15 or 16 when I watched it, but it left an impression on me. Boys don't hit girls, EVER! or else.... The fact that I took a great lesson away from the film as a young man and swore that I would never be like that to my wife, is further evidence of the power of this film. Show it to your teenage kids. I don't want to give away the plot of the movie, but a really cruel man torments a woman, beyond her ability to deal with him. The results is explosive. If you have ever heard the song Independence Day you will have a good idea of the way this movie ends up.