Suspicious River

As a woman, I am deeply saddened and troubled by the fact that someone would invest human intelligence, labor, and money to produce such darkness and ugliness in the disguise of indie cinema. We all know that the world is ugly and cruel and we do not need to be constantly reminded of that. Why not create something uplifting and beautiful? Why not give us a chance to breath? Why some indie films have to be so meaninglessly vile in order to be artsy? I simply cannot believe that this film was both written and directed by women. How sickening! How disturbing! And what message were they trying to send to the world by depicting women in such offensive fashion?

I read quite a few reviews here before I opted to buy Suspicious River. I had heard quite a bit about it while it was filming, but then was a bit put off on actually buying it. I finally did and am glad I did.

I've become a fan of Canadian film the last few years and find that many of them could be considered 'disturbing' by some. I didn't find Suspicious River all that disturbing, but an interesting view of a young woman fighting her demons. Certainly this film was no more disturbing than, say, Crash or The Sweet Hereafter.

I thought the film was extremely well done. Both Parker and Rennie did justice to their roles. I never considered Parker's lack of emotion to be a flaw, but an integral part of her character.

Probably a bit too edgy for mainstream audiences, with its long silences and scenery shots, but for me, it all enhanced the mood of the film.

I've found I really enjoy the smaller scale, more character driven films by Canadian filmmakers. It's also fun, since the pool of Canadian actors is much smaller than in the US and therefore, you get to see actors playing a multitude, very different parts.

I enjoyed the film very much.

This is a rather distasteful indie film from Canadian director Lynn Stopkewich. Set in Washington state, where apparently it rains all the time, it features Molly Parker as a hooker motel clerk who is trying to raise money to escape her dreary life. One of her clients, Callum Keith Rennie, appears to be her ticket out of dullsville, but turns out to be her worst nightmare. To describe these people as dysfunctional does dysfunctional people a disservice. The movie is populated by characters would make even Jerry Springer blush - drunks, cheaters and physically abusive men. The only missing deviant behavior here is incest and necrophilia, and that's only because Miss Parker has already covered the latter in 1996's Kissed for the same director. Parker and Rennie are remarkable actors, and Stopkewich is a capable director who isn't afraid to push the envelope and take chances with her craft. I only wish they would have given us something to aspire to instead of dredging up the seedy lives of these miserable characters.

Depressing movie about a woman who sells her body and then, just give it away. Molly Parker is very good as Leila, the motel receptionist who gives the male clients more than just the key to their room. But the movie is a little bit too much of the same, it seems to drag for most of the film. Only the last quarter of the film were interesting enough to keep me awake.

The movie still have some very troubling moments. It reminded me of what's happening in British Columbia these days: the police is discovering bodies of missing women at a pig farm in Port Coquitlam.

Interesting the story of the little girl in parallel. Symbolic? You decide. The setting is nice too. A little motel on the side of a secondary highway.

The movie is not really interesting, I guess, because of the script that seems not to be moving. Would probably have made a good one hour tv-movie.

Out of 100, I gave it 71. That's good for ** out of **** stars.

Seen in Toronto, at the Carleton Odeon Cinemas, on April 13th, 2002.

Leila Murray (Molly Parker) works in a quiet roadside motel. Her husband is slowly wasting away. She starts prostituting herself to the motel guests. She is uncontrollably drawn to one of them, the possessive volatile Gary Jensen (Callum Keith Rennie). Her life slowly spirals downward and she can't stop.

Molly Parker has a haunted presence. The movie is a bit slow. It needs to have higher tension. The husband needs to do something. The most compelling confrontation actually comes from Millie. There is a bit of violence but it could be scarier. There is darkness here but most of it is hidden inside Leila. The movie needs to bring that darkness out onto the screen.