Por Conta do Destino

'Heights' takes an intimate look at urban lives in New York. The movie centres around four characters: a passionate actress, a photographer and her fiancée and a struggling actor who moonlights as a waiter. Each of these characters are lost and isolated in a crowded New York. Jonathan and Isabel are engaged and only days away from getting married but, while on the surface everything appears to be okay, their relationship is very dysfunctional. Diana is a respected actress who is liked by everyone but she too craves for intimacy that she hits on pretty much anyone. The hardworking Alec is obviously struggling to become an actor in a city of struggling artistes yet he manages to get through the day while being in a secret relationship. Amy Fox has done a fine job in the writing department. The film is based on her play and the subtle way in which she peels the layers of each character comes across very well on camera. The cinematography is superb as it captures the shots very photogenically. Terrio clearly knows how to select the right locations and to present them on screen. 'Heights' also highlights the marvelous performances of its four leads. I've never particularly thought of Glenn Close as hot but here she looks absolutely stunning. Her nuanced portrayal of Diana is a knockout. Elizabeth Banks is terrific as she downplays Isabel while James Marsden is outstanding as the troubled and conflicted Jonathan. Jesse Bradford is notable in a tricky role that is a surprise element to the story. 'Heights' may not be everybody's cup of tea but it is an absorbing human drama for those who are looking for something more than mere entertainment. It is a little slow in the beginning but as we know more about the characters, we feel more involved.

This film begins with the Glenn Close character, a famous actress who could be Close herself, giving a master class in Shakespeare to a bunch of Juilliard acting students, in which she laments the lack of passion she sees in their performances and, more broadly, in the world she inhabits. Which is a fitting, and ironic, prologue for a movie that looks at the ennui of urban lives and the emotional earthquakes that disrupt them. This is a contemporary New York character-driven drama, but it reminds me of a 1970s movie -- in a good way. There are slightly retro split screens, long-lens conversations like mid-period Woody Allen movies, and a sense of lightness in the directing style that never becomes slickness. It's also refreshing to see an independent film that doesn't completely deteriorate in the third act -- it's almost become taboo to tell a story that is satisfying in the world of independent film, because it's seen as a concession to Hollywood. But this manages to do it in a convincing way without selling out to the forces of cheesiness or convention.

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.

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.

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.