Por Conta do Destino

I truly enjoyed this film. I had heard so much about it online and from friends, so I finally watched it the other night. I was very impressed. It's so nice to see Glenn Close back in the limelight this past year. She is one of the best. Ms. Close was also the perfect actor to play the role of Diana Lee. She brought veracity, desperation, and charm to a character that may have otherwise been easily disliked. Desperation can be a truly likable quality in a film's character. Each one of the characters in this story had a quiet desperation about them. Desperation and denial. Key aspects of all human lives. I challenge anyone to tell me these were not realistic characters. The story itself or the situations they were put into, maybe not. You have a famed actress who has everything except a stable relationship with her husband, a struggling photo journalist slowly realizing her life isn't a perfect as it seems, a youthful lawyer seeking the perfect way to forget himself, and a young actor needing more than just a steady gig onstage. I highly recommend this film. You'll come away feeling something, and that is the most important thing.

What I like about this film is that it moves like a panther. I feel like I'm outside of it but close enough to smell it. There is lots of intimacy and wonderful performances by everyone, some of which weren't fully comprehensible until the end. Glenn Close is an amazing person to watch doing anything and it was a double treat to see her, in dark hair no less (which I loved), playing an actress going in and out of character all of the time. Elizabeth Banks grew on me - at first, I just wished it were Parker Posey (whom she reminded me of at first). But, as the film developed and I could get over that resemblance, I enjoyed her performance. Jesse Bradford, who has been showing up in a lot of interesting roles the past few years, was notable as always. I liked George Segal as the rabbi without a clue until his being exactly where and what he needed to be when it really counted. Another thing about the film overall which I really liked was that the gay, straight, and everyone in between characters were all so much more real than they usually are in film. They were all over the map and that's where we all are in real life so it was a pleasure to see that. There were nuances on top of nuances and that, too, is what most of us experience but rarely see on film. James Marsden was great as Jonathan from the beginning to the end. I really liked Rufus Wainwright's character Jeremy... reminded me of a good friend of mine. There are too many good moments in the film to list them all.

Heights is, at its most basic, an exploration of desires. The characters around whom the movie revolves think they know, at the beginning, where they're headed, what will happen to them, what they want to happen to them. But as the movie progresses, their certainties are challenged and sometimes swept away entirely, and their carefully constructed lives begin to unravel.

Glenn Close is Diana, a brilliant 40-something Shakespearean actress and somewhat irresponsible mother. Her open marriage once seemed like a terrific idea--have your fun on the side, have a loving husband at home--but as her "loving husband" becomes more and more deeply involved with another woman, she begins to realize just how unfulfilling that philosophy is.

Diana's daughter is played by Elizabeth Banks, in a very Scarlett Johanssen-esquire role. Isabel is a struggling photographer who makes ends meet by taking wedding pictures, while still trying to pursue a more serious career. Her second thoughts begin to appear when her upcoming wedding to Jonathan becomes an obstacle to a once-in-a-lifetime chance to use her talent. Jonathan himself has a past he's desperate to hide, potentially ruinous secrets he's working to keep from his wife-to-be.

The situations are strung together by the existence of a never-seen photographer named Benjamin Stone, who is scheduled for an exhibition in a few weeks. A man named Peter, who we are given to understand is Benjamin's current flame, is tracking down his previous models (and incidentally, lovers) to compile his memoirs. His work loosely ties in the rest of the characters, providing some structure to the interlocking plot lines.

This movie has the power and appeal that you generally find in beautiful films about unhappy people. No matter how happy or hopeful you find the ending, it's still a bit of a downer, because of the raw exposure of the characters. There are uncomfortable moments when we're privy to deep-seated emotions and unsettling situations, but there are also remarkably tender moments. The acting is generally understated and simple, with a few intense moments--your basic fare from a character study movie. But the adaptation from stage to screen, though apparent, is nearly seamless, and the text translates well to film.

Highly recommended to fans of Closer and similar movies.

Heights is an independent film starring Glenn Close & featuring Up & coming actors from TV & film, Many of who I did not recognize.

We follow a small group of people for one full day,In one way or another they are all connected.

This is an intelligent well written script, very well acted, You (I at least) had a feeling that either I know or would like to know each member of the cast.

There are all sorts of relationships here,including very well handled gay ones.

Being an independent film with no special effects, it did not play in too many theatres. This is one of the tragedies of current film distribution. I saw it on cable TV, . It is available for rent.

I highly recommend this film. You will not be disappointed.

Rating ***1/2 out of 4, 92 points out of 10, IMDb 9 out of 10.

Progressive relationships and theatricality figure in this contemporary character study set in Manhattan wherein four main characters that are at or approaching some "height", either professional or personal, interact in ways that threaten their dreams and ambitions.

Diana (Glenn Close) is a lover of Shakespeare who teaches theatre to students. Her daughter Isabel (Elizabeth Banks) is a photographer. Isabel is engaged to Jonathan (James Marsden) who has some well-kept secrets. A struggling young actor named Alec (Jesse Bradford) auditions for Diana; she learns that he lives in the same building as Isabel and Jonathan. Diana invites him to a party. Unplanned circumstances and the interrelationships of the various characters conspire to render assumptions not valid, which in turn forces everyone to alter their perceptions about themselves and others.

In lesser hands, this material could easily descend into melodramatic soap opera. But here, the technical execution is sufficiently high quality to avoid that pit.

The film's lighting and music create a mod, artistic look and feel. The film starts off in a lighthearted mood; the second half is darker, more somber.

There are some good photographic shots of Manhattan, both exterior (the Woolworth Building, for example), and interiors (the Cherry Lane Theater and offices of Vanity Fair). Some scenes take place on building rooftops, a visual reference to the story's internal theme.

You won't find anything especially new or original, insofar as concept or story. It's the quality of execution in writing, direction, acting, editing, cinematography, costumes, and production design that renders "Heights" a credible film, one that is easy to like and worth the time to watch.