Fim da Sentença

Watching the first few minutes of this highly recommendable film will be enough to grip you tight for its remaining duration. From the poignant moment of a terminally ill mother who visits her young son in prison so that she can bid her last good-bye before she passes away to a joyful yet tearful quick swim of an estranged son and a loving father in a freezing cold lake somewhere in Ireland, this film is sure to invite you to take a back seat and be part of the same voyage of self-discovery that father and son begrudgingly embark on. Immaculately acted and well paced, the sentimentality hidden in it will make you relate and endear to the two main characters, especially to the father for whom I felt deeply sorry. His perseverance in salvaging his strained relationship with his son is impressive and will bring tears to your eyes.

Mark my words: this film does not have a bit of waste from the very beginning to the soon-arriving end. You will not want this film to come to an end, and the prospect of a sequel wouldn't be a bad idea after all, because the magic of this film will make you fall in love with the two main characters from the early beginning.

Don't let the past control you. That is good advice for anyone and is the gist of what the story here is about.

It starts in Alabama, Logan Lerman is Sean Fogle, at one point he states that his mother had taken care of him for 28 years so that must be his age. He is in prison for theft, it is near the end of his sentence (thus the title) and his mother is very sick. In fact she passes away and her last wish is for her husband and son to go together to her native Ireland and scatter her ashes upon a specific small lake. In their road trip they get a hint why.

But Sean really wants no part of it, he wants nothing to do with his dad, John Hawkes in a very good role as Frank Fogle, and refuses a ride when dad arrives to pick him up as he gets released from prison. Sean and Frank are opposites, Sean blames him for old injuries and Frank may have had a role in Sean getting arrested and convicted.

Still there would be no story if they failed to take the trip, one which included a number of surprises, including Irish actress Sarah Bolger as Jewel who doesn't quite turn out the way she seems.

This is mainly a dad-son relationship movie, each must regroup and move on with life and not let the past control them. It is something his mom had told Sean during her very last visit before she died.

Good movie, my wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. Just the movie and trailer, no "making of" extras. Sarah Bolger is a quite good singer, she does an impromptu number in a pub.

'Sometimes a wrong turn can get you to the right place.'

This was a movie I didn't think I was going to like as much as I did. I have seen Logan Lerman in movies growing up including Percy Jackson but I couldn't see him in a serious role, just out of prison but I was wrong. Both lead actors committed to their roles and took the audience on an emotional journey after a death.

I found the pacing of the film to be extremely well handled. The director is an icelandic director and this is his first feature film and I think he handled it with grace and gave a great style to the common genre.

It's not just an everyday father and son travel story, there are many layers to the stories and to the characters which I think makes this film stand out amongst others.

Overall I think the film was very good!

PS: Logan Lerman IS SO TALENTED HE DESERVES MORE RECOGNITION

End Of Sentence

The title of this movie signifies the end of a feud between father and son, brought about by the dying wish of both mother and wife. It was also a movie that examined the grieving process on those left behind, following years of care and commitment, and how essential it is to let go of everything in life but the essential bits.

Much of its subtlety lay beyond the script and was largely inferred. Many would have missed many of these subtleties, like how the burden of caring for someone can lead to being self-absorbed and making poor life decisions, and it was this perceived neglect that led to the son going off the rails, or how the father had concealed his own abuse from his son under the guise of modesty.

The female Irish car thief added little and was perhaps both a distraction and overly contrived, this let the movie down, as did the inference of a hidden history of potential infidelity by the mother.

Overall I enjoyed this gentle story, there was good chemistry and it was well acted. I agree it not everyone's cup of tea and it really was about very little.

I give this a weak 6, meaning suitable for Sunday night viewing.

Greetings again from the darkness. The pandemic has put most blockbusters and mainstream releases on hold, allowing the projects of many first time filmmakers to jump to the front of the line for exposure to critics and streaming platforms. Director Elfar Adalstein's first feature film stems from a screenplay by Michael Armbruster (BEAUTIFUL BOY, 2010) and covers familiar ground in an unfamiliar manner, enhanced by gorgeous scenery and a couple of terrific performances.

Frank Fogel (John Hawkes, WINTER'S BONE, 2010) and his wife Anna (Andrea Irvine) are visiting their son Sean (Logan Lerman, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, 2012) in an Alabama prison. Sean is serving time for stealing a car, and his mother is there to tell him goodbye. Frank and Sean are estranged, so there is no father-son visit. After the funeral, Frank shows up on Sean's day of release to convey the mother's death bed wish ... father and son are to travel together and spread her ashes on her favorite lake in Ireland. Sean has no interest in traveling with dad and only wishes to get to California for a fresh start.

Of course there would be no movie if the two men didn't eventually take the trip together, and we notice immediately that Frank, though a man of conviction, doesn't appear to have a strong backbone. Sean, acting the jerk, clearly holds a grudge against the father he views as not protecting him from an abusive grandfather during childhood. These are deep wounds that may go deeper if there is to be a chance for healing. A wake in mom's Ireland hometown reveals secrets of her past, and results in the men taking in Jewel (Sarah Bolger, one of the young daughters in Jim Sheridan's excellent IN AMERICA, 2002) as a hitchhiker. Jewel has her own secrets and agenda, and seems to both further divide father and son, while also helping pull them together. This segment is very well written and acted.

The father-son road trip is really nothing new, though the setting of Ireland, with its stunning countryside captured by cinematographer Karl Oskarsson make it a visual treat. But more than that, the basic story is elevated thanks to the work of Mr. Hawkes (a previous Oscar nominee) and Mr. Lerman. The two excellent actors make the strained relationship seem real, rather than hokey or manipulative. We sense Frank's pain in discovery, and Sean's pent-up frustration that softens when he learns more of the history. On the downside, three musical/song interludes is two too many, but fortunately the performances overcome these storytelling shortcuts. Self-discovery, the acceptance of others, and the importance of family ties are all at play here, in addition to some quirky life philosophy: "Sometimes you're the pigeon. Sometimes you're the statue. That's life."