Aurora Borealis

AURORA BOREALIS is a superb film by James Burke ('In Dark Places' and 'Tis a Gift to Be Simple') from a story by Brent Boyd ('The Green Room' and 'Crazy') and if this film is a sample of how these two fine talents collaborate, we can only hope for more. The cast assembled for this movie gives evidence that the actors deeply admire their vision: it is well deserved.

The setting is winter in Minneapolis, the hometown of the Shorter family: Grandfather Ronald (Donald Sutherland), Grandmother Ruth (Louise Fletcher), and the two grandsons Duncan (Joshua Jackson) and Jacob (Steven Pasquale). The boys' father died at age 39 (10 years prior to the opening of the story) and both boys grew up on their own, feeling deserted by a father who had been a cocaine abuser at one time. Duncan had been a champion hockey player, but when his father died his goals diminished and he has been in and out of odd jobs without a solid look at his future. Jacob runs a nursing home business and when he is not working, he is bringing his girlfriends to Duncan's flat for trysts. Duncan cares for his grandfather Ronald who has multiple illnesses (Parkinson's Disease, dementia) yet who maintains a humble life with Ruth. As Ronald's condition deteriorates, Duncan takes a handyman's job in the complex where his grandparents live and during this time the two men bond more closely than ever: Ronald's fading mind sees northern lights from his apartment window and Duncan out of love and growing understanding lets him believe they are real. Ronald is aware of his mental instability and lets Duncan know that he would like to take his life with a shotgun, an idea Duncan prevents.

Ronald and Ruth have a health care provider Kate (Juliette Lewis) whom they trust and love and encourage Duncan to seek out as a partner. Kate and Duncan date and fill the wide gaps in each other's personalities, yet when the opportunity comes for Kate to move to sunny San Diego, she is unable to make Duncan budge from his safe routine existence in Minneapolis. But as Duncan's resistance is broken down (he learns from a mentor that his father did not die of cocaine abuse, Ronald dies a natural death, etc), he views Kate as the person who can alter his outlook and his life.

Every member of this cast is extraordinary: Donald Sutherland creates a man eaten by Parkinson's Disease and dementia without ever becoming a caricature, Louise Fletcher reminds us how self-effacing her acting has always been, Juliette Lewis turns in one of her most sensitive roles, and Joshua Jackson finds every nuance of the troubled but needy Duncan and engages our empathy. Each of the smaller rolls is likewise pitch perfect, no doubt due in large part to the sensitive direction of Burke. It is so refreshing to watch a film as meaningful in message and in skillful acting as this, a movie that restores our confidence in film as art. Highly recommended. Grady Harp

I saw a screening of this movie last night and absolutely loved it. I went in with little to no expectations, and the film definitely delivered. The performances were subtle yet perfectly spot on, with the standouts being Joshua Jackson and Donald Sutherland. This is a true leading man role for Jackson, and takes him beyond just being "Pacey" into being a great, adult actor. Donald Sutherland is also a revelation, and their acting chemistry is fantastic.

The film isn't manipulative or preachy, it just tells a story and tells it well and manages to make you care about every single character, which is quite an accomplishment. This is James Burke's first film, and I hope he makes many more because he is a talent. He has quite a way with actors (he got a great performance out of everyone, even the smallest characters) and a great sense of tone and control. He also was able to balance the humor of the script with the pathos, and never make it feel forced.

If you like films about real characters and real emotions, you should see this movie -- you won't be disappointed.

This is a great film, very moving as well as funny. I got a chance to see it at its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, 2005. Donald Sutherland and Louise Fletcher are extraordinary as the grandparents. I didn't realize how much I had missed seeing them act. Personally I think it's the best thing I've seen Josh Jackson do, and I plan to buy the soundtrack if it gets released. The director is James Burke - I've not seen any of the other movies he directed but he's really good. The pacing seemed just right, he did a great job casting the major parts and I felt he got a lot out of the secondary actors as well. I think it's miscast as a family picture by Tribeca - it's much better and edgier than the standard family fare and there's language use and sexuality not always appropriate for the under 13 crowd. Please note that my 12 year old son saw it with me and loved it. I just had the urge to cover his eyes twice but I resisted. :-)

I saw this at the West Los Angeles screening last September. Since I was feeling a little homesick for Minneapolis, I decided to take a flyer and shell out $10 to see it. My expectations weren't that high since Mr. Dawson's Creek, Joshua Jackson, was one of the leads.

Little did I realize that Joshua Jackson would be brilliant in this movie. As good as Joshua Jackson performed, Donald Sutherland turned in one of the best performances by any actor. This movie doesn't beat you over the head with a stick, it's much more subtle than the current schlock that passes for cinema these days! Juliette Lewis plays against type, but does it so well. You actually care about the characters. This is one of the best crafted films of 2006! The only flaw I see in this movie is the lack of distribution. I've told my friends across the country that this is a "must see" movie and only those in MN have been fortunate enough to see it. There are so few well made films, something needs to be done to increase Aurora's exposure!

i caught this at Tribeca 2005 and i was not expecting what i got - a realistic portrayal of a family in a drama film which wasn't melodramatic or preachy.

instead of distilling the personalities down to identifiable quirks, the cast and crew of aurora tackled the near impossible task of fully fleshing out the majority of the film's characters.

the result was a window into the life of a family that was fascinating to watch. this is also one of the few films I've ever seen which portrayed strong elderly characters. catch this when it hits theaters and video.