Neo Ned

On paper it sounds pretty far-fetched: neo nazi skinhead falls in love with a black girl in a mental institution - who may or may not think she is possessed by Hitler's ghost. Wow. But somehow it works. There is a surprisingly healthy dose of and humor - and heart - which makes this story palatable and involving, rather than just unrelentingly grim. The actors are sturdy throughout - Gabrielle Union proves she's not such a pretty face - I wish Hollywood would take better advantage of her; she is an actress of depth and true beauty. Jeremy Renner proves that his work in "Dahmer" (rather than in mainstream fare like, say, "S.W.A.T.") was no fluke. He is amazing. When Sally Kirkland gets a role of substance, as she does here, it becomes clear why she's been kicking around Hollywood for so long. She's terrific. Good work also by Steve Railsback and Cary Elwes. The budget on this one is low, but it is more involving and entertaining than a lot of other stuff that's playing in the multiplexes. 8/10.

An unusual romantic comedy tackling taboo subjects is the basis for Neo Ned, a white supremacist with a violent nature who, while staying in a psychiatric hospital, meets a Rachael, a black woman who thinks she's Hitler. As an unlikely attraction forms between the two, they abscond together, are introduced to Ned's talk-show addict mother and a cop who arrested Ned as a married couple, and blunder their way through a relationship to a surprise ending with a bloody twist.

We suspect early on that neither character is quite as clear-cut as they seem. When not spouting defiance in German, Rachael is mild mannered and almost like an insightful social worker to Ned, who has a tantrum when he can't get sugar on his toast (but explains that he has to 'keep up his reputation' as a psycho). In one of his milder moments, Ned says to Rachael, "Just cos I'm a racist doesn't mean I'm not sensitive." When he makes a Nazi-style collage for her, she tears off and keeps only the corner where he has written, "To Rachel, from your friend Ned." The oddball element of the characters provides some of the charm as well as much unsettling humour. Ned's mother, who has appeared on six Jerry Springer -type chat shows to eulogise her 'misunderstood son' is at first shocked at his liaison with a black woman but then she sees the potential and gets on the phone to TV producers the minute the happy couple leave. "Every mother should love their child, no matter what," she proclaims, with well-rehearsed, realistic tears. The phrase has hidden irony when we learn later about Rachael's childhood.

Neo Ned is a clever concept and delivered with varying degrees of success. It will have aficionados while boring the pants off others. Ned's gritty antics will thrill some as harmless escapist entertainment, not to be taken seriously and definitely not emulated. The script has an ingenious overall pattern but sags in many parts as it slowly builds up the pieces of a jigsaw. If you are offended by bad language, it's one to avoid, but otherwise it does contain a few gems such as, when trying with his limited vocabulary to backtrack after a night of playing away, Ned exclaims, "I wish to God I could take that back - I wish I could unf*ck her!" Although much of the pacing struck me as slow, this is really a film that lulls you into to thinking one thing so it can hit you between the eyes with something else. As a romantic comedy, I didn't find it very believable, although I admit I warmed to it as we found out more about Ned's character. This is quite intentional, as the film is a journey of self-discovery and finding there is more to a person than is immediately apparent. On a second level, it examines racism, and although it is a fairly intelligent insight, I didn't feel it added anything new. Finally (in the last scenes) it hits us with an eye-for-an-eye retributive philosophy, which some people may find worrying and others agree with (and the audience is encouraged to agree). It struck me that the film has done well on the U.S. festival circuit and I will be curious to see if fares as well in the UK or Europe - where our penal system is less retributive - we generally don't believe in killing people whether as capital punishment or otherwise. Racial tensions outside of the U.S. tend to follow very different patterns and I wonder if audiences will relate to it as well in countries that have had little history of Klu Klux Klan or extremist movements that, strangely enough, also echo certain aspect of Nazi intolerance.

Neo Ned is not one of my favourite films. I disliked its treatment of violence and I lost interest several times in the first half. But it is one that people will have strong opinions about, for and against, so you might want to watch it and disagree with me.

I was able to see this film at the Tribeca Film Festival last week and walked away incredibly impressed with Jeremy Renner. I'd seen him in Dahmer so expected another good performance, but was truly blown away. The Village Voice compared his performance to DeNiro's in Taxi Driver and I can see why. Gabrielle Union was also good - this film is nothing like her previous work. I admire her for playing this part and also for defending her decision to do so. I think the director Van Fischer should be commended for spotting this interesting screenplay, having the vision to create such a compelling story of love, and being able to make it actually happen. If you like quirky romances, this film will satisfy you and then some.

I just saw this at the AIFF (Ashland Independent Film Festival) and all I can say it WOW! Jeremy Renner should get an academy award for this role. All the actors were great but Jeremy's performance was beyond outstanding. Apparently, this film is still awaiting distributors to get it out into theaters. Maybe all of us who have seen it should pool our resources, open a film distribution company, and buy it and market it ourselves! It was very well received today in Ashland Oregon and the spectators were glad to have a Q&A session with the director. He did state that the film had been very well received in each location that it screened with only a few folks walking out before the finish. To those who walked out, you really missed out.

I had the opportunity to see this film at the Tribecca Film Fest. This is a winner. The movie is a little shocking,its funny and its sad with a bittersweet ending all rolled in one. The acting is awesome. This is truly Jeremy Renners best! I had seen him in Dalmer,which I thought he was great,but his performance as Ned is much more explosive. When a Neo Nazi skinhead can bring a tear to your eye you know its good. Gabrial Union's character is a deeply misunderstood young woman who comes across very believable on screen. I later learned during the Q&A session,after the movie, that Gabrial is in fact a rape survivor. She stated that she was able to relate to her character through her own life experiences. She brings great depth and her own natural beauty to the film. Her inner strength really shines in this movie. Sally Kirkland (a true Hollywood legend) brings her enormous presence to the screen as Neds Mother. A role in which she is able to show how truly talented and funny she is. There is lots of great acting in this film. I love this movie because it shows how two people from very different worlds manage to fall in love ,while discovering what they really need in life to be happy. I hope to see this film on the big screen soon.