Take

Heavy subject, but wonderfully executed. There was enough detail to make the story line real. I loved the "real" feeling of the cinematography as well, it made it more believable. The actors came across as real people. The movie did a good job at letting the audience get to know the main characters - which was absolutely vital for this movie to be a success. I think this movie will be better the second time around - all truly good movies are - as you catch even more of the details. I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 because there were a couple of scenes where the acting was a little bit bland/did not quite hit the mark. This is a movie I would recommend to friends and it is a movie that keeps you talking and thinking long after you have seen it. I am so glad I got to see it. I can't wait to see it again.

review_take

Yes, it is a well crafted production, powerfully presented in the context of the message it hopes to deliver.

But this is where I part ways with the obvious intention of the film, which I can't really articulate here without providing a spoiler to its conclusion.

My point here is that the actions of Saul, remarkably well portrayed by Jeremy Remmer, is framed in the context of a sympathetic character, fraught with a difficult array of bad choices made under duress, resulting in a horrific criminal outcome.

But that's not how such things usually come about in real life. In real life, the perpetrators of horrific crimes are very often myopically self absorbed, violent sociopaths and psychopaths, completely without remorse or even the remotest capacity for anything resembling a conscience.

This is where the film fails completely.

Ana Nichols delivers her version of Minnie about as perfectly as any actress could to portray the circumstances represented in the story.

It's not the acting, or quality of production and directing, all of which were very well done, that I have trouble with.

It's the heavily slanted purported message the film is trying to drive, which is so remarkably out of sync with the actual reality it tries to portray, that makes me back away from offering a higher rating than what I offer here.

Sorry . . . 6 stars is about as far as I can go with this one.

I notice all the people giving this high marks saw it at a film festival -- with the actors and writer/director in attendance. I think this has tilted their objectivity -- made them more enamored of it.

I found this movie just dark, grimy, grungy and relentlessly sad and slow-moving. There is some deep booming sound on the soundtrack that occurs just before something bad happens (and a lot of bad things happen) -- it made me want to jump out of my skin.

I'm sure the cinematography is great -- but it's mostly of junky-looking places.

The actors are all very good. The story was OK -- but I think I've seen the topic addressed on Lifetime made-for-TV movies.

If you like really slow-moving stories about hopeless people leading hopeless lives -- then this is the film for you.

It's not my cup of tea. I had to come home and put on a DVD of a good comedy movie so I wouldn't have nightmares.

A Thoughtful and intelligent movie, I saw it at the Tribeca Film Festival. The director accurately captured the plight of the characters, the scenes were artfully staged. Great overall impact. This is a movie you can and should see more than once.

The story was told without judgment, you could feel the anguish and redemption of the characters, it was portrayed, not preached. This was movie making and story telling at its best.

Although the ending was predictable, suspense was present throughout the movie. There were a few quirky things going on that made and kept the movie interesting. The only criticism I can offer is that it seemed the conclusion of the story lacked the impact it could have had, although I am not sure how that could be pulled off, the message did get across. The movie is well worth the time.

This film exemplifies why the industry needs to keep encouraging the making of independent films. This film couldn't have come from a major studio.

The cinematography was cutting edge and experimental (a patent is even pending on a new camera rig, according to the DP at a Tribeca Q&A), and it worked well to saturate the viewer with the mood of each part of the film.

The writing was precise and tight, but the director allowed the force of the film to be carried more in its silences and in tiny nuances of expression than in dialog.

Which brings me to perhaps the most powerful of the film's elements: the acting. Without the right actors, the powerful message of the film in evoking the immense struggle surrounding rage and forgiveness would have been lost in the silences. Minnie Driver's face on one tight closeup after another showed nuances that were unbelievably powerful. Jeremy Renner's portrayal of a slow inexorable descent into darkness was captured flawlessly. And the little boy - Bobby Coleman (Driver's son in the film)- both enchanted with a completely natural portrayal of charming boyhood and terrified with a chilling reaction to what happens to him. Although young, he was completely real, with none of the Dakota-Fanning-blankness we've come to accept. In a sense, he was the linchpin of the film; if we hadn't cared about him and his relationship to Minnie, we would not have cried as we did.

The whole audience was in tears; be prepared. But...also be prepared to think, and wonder, and grapple with the film. It is well worth it.