Equinox

One of Alan Rudolph's finest; this is a deliriously atmospheric tale of separated twins, lost love and searching. It is a heady brew propelled by Rudolph's sensitive direction, great performances from Modine and Flynn-Boyle and wonderful cinematography and score. Leisurely paced and dreamy this is not for all tastes but the Romantic vision and pervasive melancholy make it a rewarding piece of cinema.

Equinox is a movie that begins with an interesting enough idea, but loses it in the second part of the movie and just becomes a boring drudge. Modine, Marisa Tomei, Kevin O'Connor, M. Emmet Walsh and Fred Ward are all top par actors who are up to the challenge. Lara Flynn Boyle, on the other hand, is seriously underwhelming and gives the movie nothing.

The movie follows twins who don't know of each other's existence. One is good, the other bad. The good twin is much more arrestingly played by Matthew Modine than the bad one; the script also gives the bad one little of interest to do anyway. I couldn't work out what Lara Flynn Boyle was doing in the movie and the character of the writer also eluded me. The movie didn't make me care enough to find out.

Early on in 'Equinox' I felt I might be watching 'Slaughterhose-Five's' Billy Pilgrim, "unstuck in time." The film followed two characters, both played by Matthew Modine. One was a meek soul who was continually being victimized by the rest of the world; the other was his polar opposite , a strong-arming gangster. These two threads finally came together with a third concerning a young woman writing a story suggested by a note found on the body of a homeless woman. Alan Rudolph wrote the script as well as directed. He is to be commended for trying something original here but I found his screenwriting not quite able to deliver his quirky vision satisfactorily. Still, I'd have to give the film a marginal recommendation on a straight yes-or-no vote.

'Equinox' is able to boast of a good cast besides Modine, including Laura Flynn Boyle, Fred Ward, Marisa Tomei, Tate Donovan, Lori Singer, Tyra Ferrell, Gailard Sartain, M. Emmett Walsh and Kevin J. O'Connor. I just felt like the execution was not up to the inspiration.

One esoteric note: the soundtrack prominently features eclectic Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal.

An old woman dies and leaves an unopened letter from years in the past. A morgue attendant takes the letter and finds that it contains information about a trust fund involving twins. She hunts down the twins, figuring on sharing the money and writing a tale based on the proceedings. As she is doing this the separate lives of the twins is unfolding in a jumbled montage. This film reminded me of "Pulp Fiction" in the disconnected way in which it was filmed. Oddball picture, but well worth the seeing.

Those commentators who thought this movie was rubbish were either totally uneducated or in a vile mood and shouldn't have bothered watching, or else they have no knowledge of life at all.

The story was deep, and that requires thought and insight for an audience to appreciate, not just superficial watching and waiting for the action. There were so many messages in this one film I would need to write a thesis to cover them all. Sure, there were a few weaknesses, but a film is made to entertain an audience, not to satisfy literary critics. I found the characters all extremely clear-cut, the situations well portrayed, the story satisfying and very poignant. Again, the portrayal of the twins and their sad story was a very deep concept, open to all sorts of interpretation. The final scene was absolutely spot-on - a view into endlessness, waiting for explanation of why things happen as they do.

Matthew Modine is an outstanding actor, who is in my opinion not sufficiently appreciated for his fine work. Maybe for the average cinema-goer he plays parts that require more insight, and therefore doesn't hit the spotlights. That he doesn't appear in every boulevard magazine is a tribute to his qualities, they don't lend themselves to cheap gossip. His double role in this film is proof of his versatility, even though neither role is at all flattering to an actor's image. Who wants to play a loser! or a small-time gangster? Respectively, who can do it convincingly? I watch this film every time it's shown and can still find more in it. A real "cult" film, Mr. Modine's specialty.