Uma Longa Queda

If you have read the novel by Nick Hornby, you will recognize the same ironic mood in the picture, where making fool of ourselves and of our small/big tragedies seems to be the only way to go on and not down. The comic hilarious side and the more dramatic one blend together without ever clashing and it is impossible not to identify oneself with the contrasting and sometimes simultaneous tendency of the characters to get depressed and to smile at life at the same time. I enjoyed the performance of all the group, especially Toni Colette who is always able to interpret her characters with such authenticity. And if you have not read the book, the movie may offer an occasion also to you to spend some enjoyable time.

Actually quite a sweet little movie. Don't kill yourself, somewhere someone cares.

22 March 2014 Film of Choice at The Plaza Tonight - A Long Way Down. From the best selling book by Nick Hornby (as usual unread by me), this film charts the lives for four would be suicide victims one New Year's Eve. Meeting on the roof of a building they rescue each other and form a pact to stay alive until Valentine's Day! This looked good from the trailer. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots and Aaron Paul it promised to be an amusing yet touching story of how these four completely different lives came together and although I didn't find it terribly amusing, I didn't feel I'd wasted an evening. I rather felt that I'd been reading a book that although wasn't the most gripping, was however a book I was unable to put down. It's the sort of film you would probably watch on a rainy day with a nice hot cup of cocoa. Always nice to see Pierce Brosnan on the big screen!

While a story about 4 suicidal strangers meeting on a rooftop about to jump sounds interesting, this movie was not all that interesting.

There were times when scenes felt too long and equally many scenes that could and perhaps should have been longer. Some potentially interesting plot threads were brought up in a scene and hardly mentioned again (same with some characters). The emotional scenes weren't that effective either and I didn't laugh much during the movie either. The characters aren't that great either. None of them felt believable for me.

In the end, felt that the movie was predictable, cheesy and not that entertaining. The ending of the movie didn't do much to change that either. Not the best movie this year.

A comedy about 4 people who are suicidal, sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it? Well, this is the issue dealt in this light hearted comedy & drama.

It was a New Year's Eve at the top of a building, the ideal suicide spot that these four individuals encountered one another. Somehow their presence provided a barrier to their urge and since they survived that night, they kept in touch and tried to encourage one another...in life.

The makers of this film must have faced a challenge in how to deal with a dramatic issue (suicide) but convey it in a semi comical tone without appearing to ridicule such a serious issue.

Thus, through the chance encounter our characters realised slowly that they have something to live for and that beauty can be found in purpose and togetherness and in that problems can be faced rather than avoided taking the easy way out.

Whilst I stand by my 'light-hearted' remark earlier, this is not to say that it is shallow. It deals with a very sombre matter but even such matters can be approached from a humorous angle.