O Dia da Liberdade

Carefully-considered character piece, a solid drama and a genuine sleeper, has a would-be auto racer returning to his small hometown in Texas after his dreams have hit a dead-end; he meets up with a girl his knew back in high school, a waitress and shutterbug who still lives with her parents and has aspirations to go to an art school in Los Angeles. Subplot with the young man's suicidal sister, trapped in a bad marriage to an abusive lout, nearly takes precedence over the main story, though all the performances are equally strong. Kathleen Quinlan is the sassy, headstrong photographer who makes firm statements about herself and her future--and then second guesses her own words and instincts (the contrivance with Quinlan waiting for the school's letter of invitation to come in the mail can be overlooked). As her new beau, David Keith is still being used as a substitute for Kurt Russell, yet his character's quiet strength (and his slow-building frustration and anger) shows him off to a fine advantage here. As the alternate couple, Dianne Wiest is a wonderful "born victim" who turns the tables, but Cliff De Young--while completely convincing as Wiest's repugnant husband--fails to come up with anything fresh (he's the eternal substitute for Dabney Coleman). Barely released by Warner Bros. in 1983, the film attained a small cult on cable and video, and it's a worthwhile film for fans of human drama. **1/2 from ****

...with her performance as Cliff De Young's battered wife. When I saw it in the Greenwood Theater in North Seattle the whole audience cheered and clapped when David Keith hauled De Young out of the bar and beat the crap out of him for hitting his sister (Weist) - Weist had grabbed the audience so effectively. The only "Independence Day" anybody remembers today is the flying saucer movie, so this film is nearly forgotten - a tragedy.

This movie was one I watched a long time ago; never the less, I remembered it when i stumbled across it in IMDb. This was a powerful movie for me! It struck a cord in me, and and I have never forgotten it. I was probably only 15 or 16 when I watched it, but it left an impression on me. Boys don't hit girls, EVER! or else.... The fact that I took a great lesson away from the film as a young man and swore that I would never be like that to my wife, is further evidence of the power of this film. Show it to your teenage kids. I don't want to give away the plot of the movie, but a really cruel man torments a woman, beyond her ability to deal with him. The results is explosive. If you have ever heard the song Independence Day you will have a good idea of the way this movie ends up.

I will always remember this movie........I will always remember Diane Weitz as a great actress........I have been searching over the years for this movie because Martina McBride came out with the song Independence Day and I know from my heart that it was based on this movie.......But to ask anyone that, I know they will tell you that the only one movie called Independence Day was solely about aliens.......Can anyone out there confirm that Martina's song is based on this movie......at least now I know that I can prove that there was such a movie........

On the IMDb message board of The Sweet Hereafter, a writer asked users what was the most bone chilling moment in a film. I mentioned the little seen, small town drama Independence Day (a.k.a.: Follow Your Dreams, and not to be confused with the 1996 sci-fi blockbuster). Although Kathleen Quinlan and David Keith were the leads, I thought their somewhat interesting but not very compelling small-town romance was overshadowed by a subplot that could have been a main story in another movie.

As Keith's suicidal and physically-abused sister, Dianne Wiest gave a heartbreaking performance. The dramatic decision she makes that directly affects her abusive husband (Cliff DeYoung, who also does a great job with his despicable character) and indirectly affects the lead characters, definitely chilled my bones.

Weist's performance here was three years before her first of three supporting Oscar nominations, with 2 wins for Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway.

Although I had mixed feelings for Independence Day, I would recommend checking out the movie for Dianne Wiest's outstanding supporting performance.