Middle of Nowhere

Go and see this film!! Ignore the critics and lame ratings!! This movie unfolds like a blossom and it's a great film for both men and women! It is a powerful and emotionally deep experience - without being heavy handed. The acting is phenomenal and the characters are She's innocent, hopeful, committed, determined and blind. Her husband is cautious, realistic, hanging on, while trying to push her away. This is a movie of incredible dialog and subtle physicality - the twitch of a lip, the pleading or twinkling in the eyes, and the anger/frustration in tightly drawn lips. I love the film's murkiness and incomplete glimpses of the couple's history. There's not a lot of time spent trying to show how they got to where they are.

The portrayal of a family as strained, fragmented and individually isolated was stunning and the scenes between the mother and her 2 daughters -- acted as levers that the director used to shift the film's pace. The movie also gently taps at class and socio-economic constructs within the African-American community.

"Variety" magazine's reckless and inaccurate review (IMHO) completely missed the point of the movie and of the ONE line he quoted - yet misinterpreted. Hint/hint: the line is "an ode to the fact that most men -- even black men 'ie, brothas' lean toward flicks - where you don't have to follow the dialog; that is...you don't really have to pay attention!! It was NOT a statement alluding to actual or perceived reading abilities.

The movie feels much longer than it is, but it was a wonderful savoring. At the end, I was satisfied...yet still would have been content with more! Compared to the movie "Blue Valentine" featuring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, this movie is a true 10!