As some readers may have noticed, I tend to like 'small' films-- independent movies made on small budgets that emphasize fine acting and excellent scripts as opposed to action and special effects. There are, of course, many exceptions. For example, I just saw a film that has terrific writing, wonderful acting and yet was made with some very familiar and high-priced stars--and, sadly, most folks didn't see it when it came to the theaters. Fortunately, "The Railway Man" was just released on DVD and Netflix brought it out this week--so you have no excuse not to see it yourself.
"The Railway Man" is based on a true story written by Eric Lomax about himself and his experiences following World War Two. During the war, he was a prisoner of the Japanese and suffered tremendous torture and privations. Not at all surprisingly, he suffered through the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for years and his way of coping with it was to ignore it and pretend that not of it every happened. He refuses to talk about it and instead seems to talk about many dull things (such as railway timetables) instead of what was destroying him inside. Not surprisingly, it threatened to ruin his second marriage. So, not wanting to continue living this way, Lomax set about taking his recovery seriously--and the first thing he planned to do was find the Japanese soldier responsible for brutalizing him when he was in the prisoner of war camp. What's next? See the film--I really don't want to tell you too much and spoil what is to follow.
The film stars Colin Firth as Eric and Nicole Kidman as his wife, Patti. I am not sure how the studio got the services of two talented Oscar- winners like these two, but regardless, director Jonathan Teplitzky's job was sure a lot easier given these fine actors--though he also showed a very deft hand with the film despite his relative lack of experience. As for the plot, the screenplay was, as I mentioned above, based on Lomax's book and really pulls you into his life and struggles. But, like many films, a few liberties were taken with his actual life story. In the film, Eric's first marriage and children were never mentioned, for example. However, the basic story is there and the film team managed to create a tremendously moving film--one that got better and better as the film progressed. While it might look like a romance, this is only a small portion of the movie and viewers should be warned--there are a few intense images you see in Eric's flashbacks--imaged of the ghastliness of war and war crimes. This is why the film is rated R, though I really think it is appropriate to show to teens provided you watch it with them and discuss what you've seen. All in all, a great example of a film with a bigger budget and some very big name actors who managed to impress me--though it somehow failed pretty miserably in the box office. Perhaps it wasn't marketed well, perhaps folks were put off by the idea of a man suffering with PTSD...all I know is that for Firth and Kidman, it's among the best work they've ever done and is an incredibly moving film. See this one.
