White Knuckles

As a child I watched the dust appear in the sunlight coming in through the window, then dance as in a fairy tale, and slowly disappear. That is how the relationship between Julie and William appeared to me. They loved once, danced, and slowly faded. I watched this film with a group of friends, all older women who had done the same thing. Some made it through the tough times in their marriage and some didn't. We all understood. We hurt for both Julie's desperation, and William's pain. We had to wonder if the two lead actors had been there at some point in their own personal lives as they were "true" to lost love and the need for more. This film touched us all, kept us interested, and was beautifully acted. It's about time there was a film about older people's struggles. Let's see more films of this type, and more older people in films in general.

I'm pleased to say that i've seen this film several times (via DVD and Netflix streaming) and enjoy it very much! While most movies these days hardly state anything of significance, "White Knuckles" deals uniquely with forgiveness all while disguising its presence in a revenge story that is subtle yet shockingly painful. Not to mention, the film is also jam packed with intricate subtext dealing with moral dilemma, spirituality, and transcendence, which are brave & different themes to explore in modern day films.

The performances are also very raw and human which play nicely to a plot that unfolds deadly motives in a minimalist fashion. In addition, the music in the film compliments the imagery wonderfully, especially the wide nature shots. All in all, the movie delivers…it delivers on numerous levels (performances, story, music, and theme) and it does a fine job taking the audience into a dark world only then to slowly bring them out into a meaningful catharsis. When you watch the film, you'll discover for yourself that it's a gem among indies!

I recently purchased a Roku box, in order to stream media from my PC to my television. Something I discovered was that there were a handful of indie film apps built into the system, and, through searching around, I stumbled upon White Knuckles the other night.

After watching the film, I couldn't help but think of my parents, as well as about my own future in this lifetime. Haunting is a good word for it. It resonated with me, so much so, that I felt the need to write something.

This 'review' is not meant to read as a synopsis, but rather, a reaction. Martie Ashworth (Julie) was absolutely wonderful. She really has a quality about her that works so well. A humanity to her work that flows seamlessly from one scene to the next. She brings to Julie the sort of traits that such a character who is at a crossroads in life would need... Hopeful exhaustion, is the best way I can describe it.

Watching the character, one hopes to never allow themselves to fall into such a situation, a marriage that is dead and participated in strictly out of habit. But at the same time, one hopes that they will be just active in attempting change.

Larry Strauss (William) is incredible in this role. It is almost as if the filmmakers simply let him be and he just was this man. It is a strange feeling to empathize with a character, yet, at the same time, resent them. He, as well as the movie itself, serve as a cautionary tale to me, and I was whole-heartedly affected.

I could very much discuss every character in the piece, as I found many of the performances very effective. But I will just limit it to Ms. Ashworth and Mr. Strauss in this review.

Kudos to the filmmakers/actors/crew. I'm really glad I stumbled upon this film. I look forward to much more from this group.