This is one of those films for people who don't need to have everything spelled out for them and can imagine for themselves, the presence of unusual yet unexplained elements.
This film is basically about a young man "Matthew" and his older brother "Michael" dealing with personal loss, each in his own way and the woman "Natalie" who is at the center of their "present"
It deals mostly with how the younger of the two spends much of his time in his head. An interesting if not curious place to be. His past, present and conscience appear in an unusual way but this sweet kind soul is not disturbed nor disturbing but rather, comforting in the sense that he shows the viewer the possible upside to living, at least sometimes, detached from the meaningless rush and empty pursuits of daily life as most people live it. He may appear to be doing nothing, going nowhere, but in fact is probably going farther and doing more than all around him, and is in fact more sensitive to the world around him than most would be in his place.
We should all watch this and try to find a way to remove ourselves at least in part from the rest of the world to take time to deeply contemplate life, our place in it and hope to find ourselves as visible and loved as he.
As for the rest of the film. Well, The only other main Characters. His older Brother,(Walsh Of "Nip and Tuck") and the Brother's Girlfriend(Shue, in a characteristically easygoing, naturally offbeat and immensely sensitive role) with whom the protagonist (Walsh, an undeniably underestimated and grossly underused actor in mainstream Hollywood) has a symbiotic relationship grown from what appears to begin as an innocent crush.
To say more would give away too much of the film's simple message. There are elements that only the most sadly dense of viewers will find confusing or underwritten.
This is a film to simply take as a window into the lives of three people who are in the purest of ways, compelling as much for their approach to life and love as for their sheer personal charisma and likability.
A thinker's film, for the thinker who understands living deep inside one's self and those who know what it is like to at sometime in life have little more than their imagination and inner life with which to handle that which life throws at them. As well as the presence of loved ones who's love transcends the need to completely understand them and that which makes them tick.
Truly a little Gem of a film.
