Cavedweller

I was engaged by the movie. Thought the plot was believable enough, the direction good and the acting superior. One of my favorite sleeper films. Also the title song has remained with me, many months later.

I thought the film dealt well with a number of real human situations involving sibling rivalry, sickness and death, the contrast between rural and urban lifestyles, the breakup of the nuclear family, etc. And I wound up caring about all of the main characters. I don't ask much more of a movie.

It does have an indy feel to it, but I thought that added to the charm. I would definitely add it to my library and watch it every now and then.

Although this film has received a lot of criticism in here, (as I have noticed) in my honest opinion, I liked it! My initial thought when the movie started was: "Oh my god, it's another one of those sappy, bad quality movies, you normally see on the Hallmark channel, (which I was watching at the time) but a few minutes into the beginning I got more interested and ended up watching all of it. Start to finish. I will however give a user right in one thing. The scene with the mother when she is driving back home, is far to long and uneventful, but maybe it was intended, to get people to focus more on the later events in the movie. Things I liked about the movie: It had humor. Great actors like Aidan Quinn, and Kevin Bacon, appeared in it. There were awesome music featured in it, and I especially liked how you had to wait to see the flashbacks, so you could understand the movie. It added excitement! The movie is supposed to be gloomy and unforgiving, which is kind of the theme word for the movie! I would like to name movies who resembled it, but I actually haven't seen a movie which resembled this one. It's also funnier than it would seem for those who haven't seen it!

This is a nice movie in spite of the low rating that viewers have given it. And I'm not surprised that it got such ratings. Most Americans would not like this movie because it doesn't have enough action. This is a movie about real life relationships, past and present; about how different people adapt to changing situations; and about how life's decisions are made. This is a movie about how real people live, what they say, and how they love. I especially liked the ending. I think most of the acting was good too. I thought all three of Delia's daughters did a fine job. I especially liked her youngest daughter, Cissy; wise beyond her years. I can remember her from "The Blue Car". I was so frustrated with Amanda's rote religious jumbo that I wanted her mother to grab her and give her a good shaking. But if you love someone enough, I suppose you often put up with that sort of thing.

I don't really understand why this is so lowly rated as of the time of my review. This is a serious drama, competently directed and believably acted by all. The story held my interest and the wonderful Kyra Sedgwick delivered another good performance. As is usual for me, I haven't read the book and knew very little about the story before watching. Unusual for me, I watched it despite the low rating here and I am glad I did. I am sure the character played by Kyra Sedgwick couldn't be farther from who she really is but she sure knew what she wanted to do with this part.

If you want comedy or action, other films should be considered. If want to think about life, love, parenthood, and dying, this one should hold your interest.

Chris

I first chose to watch "Cavedweller" when I recognized the names of Kyra Sedgwick and Aiden Quinn, and although the title was intriguing, the full meaning didn't reveal itself until much later. This movie, like real life, is about facing difficult, dark, and echoing choices.

Kyra Sedgwick is very believable in her portrayal of the character, Delia, who returns to her small town birthplace of family, friends, and foes. Her patience, subtle strength and will to overcome great odds and criticism, is shown through her actions and inactions of past and present events. Her values and personality are examined with contrasts, balance, and the responsibility to believe in one's self no matter the resulting rewards or failures. And while Delia's three daughters are unique in their own innocence and individuality, each one is a transformed facet of her total personality.

Aiden Quinn delivers a credible performance as Clint, the "mama's boy" abusive husband. To me, one word describes his role - karma.

As a viewer I became completely immersed and wanted to write myself into the script as a coach and say, "Tell them!"

I can relate to the many of the underlying themes. After several years absence on returning to a small town birthplace, where everybody "thinks" they know everybody else's business, I found renewed hope. We can all choose to either rail against the darkness or light a candle.