Lontano da casa

There is something quite special about the quietness and subtlety of this beautiful film. I don't think reviewers "got" this film. The setting is spectacular -- British Columbia. My only criticism is that the music is a bit overblown. Quite nice actually by itself, but a little over the top of the story. Nothing however can detract from the vision of the director and the wonderful acting. This film conveyed aspects of my life with childhood friends and family (and the extended family provided by Nature). It seems to say that just beneath the surface of some ordinary lifeforms, there is strength and depth. Yes! That is worth saying. I would love to have seen the film on the big screen. Jesse Bradford is great! I don't think I've seen this kid do one false thing in front of a camera. He plays or embodies youthful promise and that in-between adolescence and adulthood stage like no other actor I've seen. The same expressiveness is in "King of the Hill" -- astonishing really. Oh yeah, and the dog is great too!

Far from Home - The Adventures of Yellow Dog

Despite a rather ridiculous title ("The Adventures of Yellow Dog"?), this winning tale of a 14-year-old boy's bond with a yellow lab will warm your heart. Okay, I'm lying--but it will entertain the kiddies. It's a children's version of "Cast Away" after Jesse Bradford is stranded in a Canadian wilderness with his pet dog, left with only a few items for survival. Really, it's not as bad as it sounds.

1995, PG (violence).

*** / *****

Angus is learning to drive in his father's pickup truck (with comic results), so he must be in his mid-teens. A mysterious dog shows up at his house, and he wants to keep it, but his parents say it must belong to someone. They reluctantly agree to keep the dog at least until its owner is found, if there is one. The dog causes problems and Angus is reminded he must be responsible for the dog. One day the father is making a delivery on the boat CORMORANT, somewhere on the Pacific coast, with Angus and the dog. The weather gets rough unexpectedly, and the boat capsizes. The father is rescued quickly but does not know what happened to his son. Angus and the dog managed to get in a small boat Angus helped build, along with some supplies, and they make it to shore. But the area is very isolated, and even though search planes fly over several times, Angus can't make his presence known. He is there for many days with the dog, but despite his age Angus has learned many survival skills (earlier in the movie Angus and his younger brother camped out in the back yard and we saw the father teach some of these skills; the father also gave Angus a knife that had been given to him by his father) and gets along quite well. After a while the food situation gets so bad Angus even eats some of the cookies his girlfriend Sara made him. The dog helps some, even chasing away wolves and later a bobcat (these were the only scary scenes, but nothing that should bother parents). Angus later starts moving toward civilization. The search team shows signs of giving up, but as in most movies like this, the parents will not let them. This was an okay movie. No standout performances, and nothing to make it better than any other movies like it, but the boy's ability to take care of himself was nothing less than amazing.

The plot is the standard fare, touched on by quite a few viewers already. Boy meets dog, Dog and Boy get lost in the wilderness, dog and boy get attacked by wolves ( but no bears surprisingly). Good acting but no real standouts, beautiful cinematography ( the film's strongest point) Direction is weak in points, but enough to keep the film flowing. Overall a decent effort. The problem is in the script. This is a young fellow who clearly has some survival skills yet manages to throw them aside at every turn. At one point he has access to a dead deer and a cabin, yet he continues on! Give me a break. Well I suppose you need to keep the suspense in order to have a movie. However some attempt does need to be made to keep things realistic. It is very frustrating to watch a film and constantly have to ask, "now why did he do that!" Well,this film is entertaining enough, but the writer is certainly no Jack London.

Personally this has many memories for me, as I was friends with the editors son when I lived in Vancouver in 1993 and was lucky enough to see it being edited. I still have a cut from the reel somewhere. It brings back many memories, both from seeing the film 1st hand and also from viewing the fantastic scenery of British Columbia which has great childhood memories.

Over all, it's a well shot film with some good long outdoor shots. The story is a little clichéd but what else can you expect from a family film! The dog does an amazingly good job as do the actors. They were only in their early teens when it was shot so I've gotta hand it to them for doing such a good job considering they were the main characters. There are some moments where they the supporting actors lack fluidity in their delivery and let's be honest, the concept isn't ground breaking.

If your looking for a good, well filmed family film look no further. One of the lost gems in film history.