Long Time Since

I saw this film sitting in the foreign/art-house section of a local independent video store. I was actually not at all excited about the summary on the back of the cover, but the visuals looked so striking, I had to give it a look.

I found when watching it, the plot was even more unappealing than it was on the cover. The dialogue was unbearable, the acting was dull (accept for maybe the young woman playing phoebe in the end), and the score would appear in awkward snippets. There are long scenes in which you are forced to watch a character, when you have no idea what his relationship is to the rest of the film until the last third. Also, the director seems overly "fade to black" happy.

However (except for one scene in which the characters faces are floating out of frame- which some may call artistic, but I only find aggravating) the movie is visually stunning. The style varies slightly throughout the movie, but only in a a way that is appropriate to the "feel" of each scene.

This film I would not recommend for the average movie fan, or film perfectionists. This movie lacks in many areas- but if you have a passion for cinematography- I believe this is an absolute gem in which your time will be well invested.

If you prefer movies that are straight narrative, plot and action centered...stay away from this film. This poetic work, by Jay Anania, is for those who can allow the images, the characters to reach them at an inner reality level.

Diane Thwaite, a gorgeous, willowy, intelligent woman (played by Pauline Porizkova) becomes haunted by the inkling of some event she may or may not have experienced over 20 years ago. Her journey to piece out the puzzle, although it involves an actual happening, is largely an inner one of self-discovery. We see her slowly move from a chilly, laconic woman, unable to respond to a man who obviously cares for her, to someone who finally is willing to reach out, touch and be touched emotionally by another person who brings Diane a simple grace, an acceptance of life as it was dealt her.

The images in this movie, thanks to Cinematographer Oliver Bokelberg, are intimate and stunning...at times reminiscent of an Edward Hopper painting and at others like a Japanese landscape. He brings us up close and personal to the characters so that we can't escape their presence, their actuality.

This is a rare and rewarding treat for anyone interested in cinematic grammar skillfully used, but not spelled out