Eye of God

With explicit references to the Bible, "Eye Of God" is a thought provoking film that explores the effect of religious faith on the relationship between a lonely young woman named Ainsley (Martha Plimpton) and Jack (Kevin Anderson), the prison parolee whom Ainsley befriends. In its realism and its setting in rural Oklahoma, "Eye Of God" reminds me of "Silkwood". Both films are depressing, sad, and have a fatalistic quality to them. Both films explore life and death issues. And in both films, the essential question is not who, or when, or how, but ... why.

In style, "Eye Of God" is simple, direct, low-key, and personal. There's very little camera movement. Typically framed by doors or windows, most scenes are unobtrusive locked-off shots of characters talking. The cinematography is totally not flashy nor gimmicky in any way. The acting is direct, restrained, understated, and high in quality. Martha Plimpton gives a flawless performance. I was also impressed with the performance of Margo Martindale, in a support role. Further elevating the overall acting is Hal Holbrook who gives his usual raspy voice performance as the town sheriff.

There's very little score. At times, country songs can be heard in the background. The film opens with the beautiful gospel recording of "Live With Jesus", by Wynonna Judd.

Some viewers may not like the story's non-linear structure. The film uses time-cuts to force the plot ahead and then back in time in such a way that scenes are not necessarily in chronological order. But the scenes are always thematically related. As the film moves along, the various seemingly unrelated threads come together. And it all makes sense in the end.

This is a movingly personal film whose theme runs deep. As such, nearly all viewers can connect with one or more characters in some way. The film is entertaining for its high quality acting and for its interesting cinematography. But more than that, this is a film with a profound message relevant to contemporary audiences. "Eye Of God" is one of the best films of the last fifteen years.

I watched this film late last night with the intention of just seeing the first half then and saving the rest for later. It didn't work out this way due to the fact that "Eye of God" is so utterly fascinating and potent a movie; you just can't take your eyes off the screen!

Martha Plimpton is truly unforgettable as Ainslee. She explores the nuances of her interesting character realistically and intelligently, adding her own unique charm and talents to the role with spellbinding effects. She really deserved a lot of praise and awards for this part!

Actually, all of the performances in this film are excellent, from Hal Holbrook's brilliantly understated sheriff to Kevin Anderson's chilling, masterful performance.

The plot couldn't be better constructed or in a more original way. The technique may be off-putting to some, which made me love this film even more; it will probably always be a film that is revered by a small few because it never takes a Hollywood approach to the material, nothing about this film is derivative of something else, so it will seem unfamiliar, alienating, and disconcerting to many.

It's a film with many moments that are nothing short of gems, a film that stays with you and feeds your mind.

If you haven't seen it and have even a passing interest in cinema, it's imperative that you track this film down on VHS or DVD; true masterpieces like this should be better known and sought for.

My rating: 10/10

Directed by Tim Blake Nelson, most recently recognisable from his performances in Holes and The Good Girl, Eye of God is a story of doomed love and loneliness told out of order.

Martha Plimpton is Ainsley Dupree (a name I think sounds quite cool and have since used in stories of my own) a waitress who falls in love with a dangerous ex-con (Kevin Anderson). After wondering what the hell she has soon married into she seeks comfort with lonely teenager Tom.

I liked this movie a lot and the performances were very good all round. Especially Holbrook, he was just so believable as an old sheriff who's seen it all. Nick Stahl is much better here than he was in Disturbing Behavior. I think the last few scenes with him and Martha Plimpton were quite intimate and it really made the whole movie totally enjoyable for me.

Highly recommended but quite a rare film to come across in stores or on TV.

I rented this one just as a Nick Stahl fan but was really amazed by how good it was. The disturbing tone and plot line stuck with me for days after viewing it. Stahl was wonderful as a traumatized boy who is just barely surviving his pain. Stahl's work in this film just hints at the depths of talent we may yet see from him. I don't think that Martha Plimpton has EVER been better in her role as a young woman searching for love and redemption. Hal Holbrook, his face a mixture of world-weariness, sadness and kindness, is the real center of the film and he does an amazing job.

One of the most moving things about this film was the idea that deep tragedy can strike at the most seemingly mundane of moments. Coupled with this is the concept that one can never really know what is in another's heart or mind. Because of the narrative form, one knows tragedy will strike, but the director purposefully seems to suggest that tragedy could enter into any setting, at any moment, with no warning. The bookend examination of the story of Abraham and Isaac is ultimately successful because Isaac (like the characters and viewer) was asked to have faith without any proof that seemingly negative events may have a positive reason. The director doesn't offer any pat answers to this dilemma, but he does show that tragedy can overwhelm a person.

Jack is released from prison and meets up with Ainsley, a young woman he has been writing letters to for quite some time. Ainsley is a sweet romantic simpleton who doesn't even want to know about the crime that put him in prison. Jack believes that he has been reformed by the justice system and by religion, but he's also a control freak. For strange reasons lost in the mysteries of the human heart, these poor souls decide to start a relationship.

One can't give away too much of the plot without collapsing the nonlineary framework of the film and ruining its breathtaking effect. So suffice it to say that this recipe for disaster is tossed up in the air along with the biblical story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac and with all the theological and ethical problems both of these stories present. Everything builds to a whirling climax of nonlinear convergence and small-scale horror. In the end the audience is brought face-to-face with that grand philosophical theme "the problem of evil," and we find no easy solutions.