À Espera da Felicidade

I saw "Open Window" on Showtime and was so captivated by it that I had to see it again. It's really the first time I've seen a movie that shows that there is more than one victim when an act of violence happens to somebody else.

The relationship between Peter and Izzy is real and honest. How can a couple really grasp when something this devastating happens to them? "Open Window" shows this relationship unfold in a way that I haven't seen before.

Some would say that this film has too many scenes where there are two people talking, but it is so much more than that. The conversations between Peter and his father, Izzy and her therapist, etc. are the key to the films beauty. These small scenes let you into the characters so much.

I found the directing, acting and writing so subtle and yet so powerful.

Hopefully, word of mouth will give the film the recognition that it should have had a year ago when it was at Sundance.

Many here thinks this is a great film, and only a couple of reviewers at giving in my opinion a correct picture of the film, since most is quite over-positive. But it's easy to fall off here for the first hour. For me the film first started growing after an hour. The story is more about guilt and communication.

Understand me correct. The film is really well acted, and the cast is good. And this is a film which is OK, but nothing more in a strange way. It's a solid independent film. The problem is - I don't know what should have been done otherwise. Maybe the direction is it. We understand early on that some small things, like opening a window is important, as it's also the title of the film.

The film is like a therapy session after a rape, and the consequences of it. And I'm not opposed to that, but somehow this is also a bit annoying. It's like what we've heard the consequences of a rape might be. What is troubling is the gathering of problems which follow. Sad problems, but is quite depression to see so much if it. Thankfully this changes towards the end.

Everything here is spot on, and I can't point out exactly what is wrong, because it is plausible everything that happens. Still I feel the film seem to be going into a bottomless pit, and somehow both the film and the players deserve more. Maybe it's a story like this which will have this kind of problem.

Somehow the film lacks a nerve for me in the first part. And I'd really like it to be different. Maybe it's me being in the wrong mood. But when the film starts getting interesting, when we're over the part we might guess what will happen. But with the last half our the film is getting to be more interesting for a common viewer. So stick in, even if you fall of after the half hour!

I loved this movie. With a fine hand and an elegant restraint, Mia Goldman's inaugural feature is a beautifully crafted work. With a concise and well articulated story line, Ms. Goldman, who wrote and directed, has made an engaging movie that moved me in many unexpected ways. The story of a young couple, deeply in love, confronting an enormous challenge startled me. Disturbed me. Robin Tunney and Joel Edgerton play the romantic leads with elegance and passion. Their love affair drives the story and they do it well. TElliot Gould and Cybil Shepard, in unusually textured roles, perform beautifully. This smart, sophisticated Indie film is subtly driven. We're sucked into the emotional vortex almost from the beginning. Once there, it's an intense ride. It's not everybody's cup of tea. There are disturbing elements that I will not reveal. But if you hang in you will be deeply and profoundly rewarded. This is one of those sleeper films. A wonderfully rewarding debut.

This film, for the first time I believe, explores the effects of a trauma which intrudes itself upon the apparently otherwise smooth and fulfilling relationships of the lead characters ), and the ripple effects of that trauma on their relationships with family and friends.

The trauma could be in many forms, not necessarily the one depicted here. Our lives, seemingly secure as they flow along, can be brutally interrupted by many events -- devastating and crippling accidents, unexpected and life-threatening illness, etc etc etc. Not only is devastation wreaked upon the subject, but tangentially upon all his/her relationships. This film makes us clearly aware of this fact.

Now, the healing and rehabilitation and recovery must hopefully and painfully take place. How far can one come back? How can one become better, stronger, than prior to the trauma? This film gently, patiently, helps us see that one need not remain a victim forever! One can overcome! Not easily, not without scars, but with dignity and self-pride.

A bonus is the music score. It is beautiful and supportive, yet never intrusive. It is in exquisite unity with the film and a joy to experience.

I enjoyed this movie so much. There were great plot twists, and the way the characters lives were intertwining through out the film was entertaining to say the least. I thought the art direction was beautifully executed. I walked out of the theater a little exhausted....but in a good way...I felt like I had been taken on a short emotional ride. I like a movie that can shake all different emotions out of me, and this movie did include some comic relief. I especially liked the scene with Eliott Gould and Robin Terney at dinner, the lighting was beautiful, and the dialog was great...Thank you for this special treat...