This is a profoundly difficult film. A very strange thing.
Ninety percent drivel, technical incompetence, and horrid writing and acting ... and 10% genius.
It's weird. I first tried to sit through this thing MORE THAN ELEVEN YEARS AGO.
I hated it. It made me so angry.
The over-acting. The technical glitches (shots out-of-focus, weird lighting) and the illogic throughout - both of the "nobody would ever behave or react that way" variety as well as the "how could she hear what her father's saying when she's so far away and he's speaking in a quiet voice, and we can only hear her reply because she's shouting?" variety.
I hated Riegert. I hated the wife. I hated the daughter. I hated the story. The acting. The editing. Everything about it.
And then, more than eleven years later, I forced myself to finish it. Out of spite, I guess. I don't know. It's on youtube for free, so I watched to the end.
And I discovered plutonium.
At the 45 minute mark, it transmogrifies into a completely different film.
Leo goes crazy and I begin laughing hysterically and I start to care deeply about what happens next to these people and ... and the whole dam thing becomes RIVETING.
For awhile. And then it goes back to being comatose. And sloooooow. And unwatchable. But I forced myself to continue on, like Job.
Then near the end, at the funeral, I cried.
Tears ran down my face. And when Leo notices (as did I) that "the companion" is off by herself, and he includes her, I at that moment ... began to love him.
DAM YOU, RIEGERT. WHY COULDN'T THE WHOLE FILM HAVE BEEN THIS STUNNING? Geez.
Here is my original review, more than eleven years ago (Oct 25, 2006):
It's nice that Riegert went on the road, etc etc - but nice does not a good film make. Isabella as the wife was completely absurd; Eli's over-acting was horrid - screeching like some old crow, desperately mugging for the camera. Hoffman's kid - ridiculously awful.
The father & mother wringing their hands over the daughter's lateness - simply not believably acted at all. There's more (a lot more) - but no point to continue.
What can I say? I *wanted* to love this thing, but it's just plain awful.
Maybe if Riegert makes a better film in the future, he'd have a better chance at distribution.
Ninety percent drivel, technical incompetence, and horrid writing and acting ... and 10% genius.
It's weird. I first tried to sit through this thing MORE THAN ELEVEN YEARS AGO.
I hated it. It made me so angry.
The over-acting. The technical glitches (shots out-of-focus, weird lighting) and the illogic throughout - both of the "nobody would ever behave or react that way" variety as well as the "how could she hear what her father's saying when she's so far away and he's speaking in a quiet voice, and we can only hear her reply because she's shouting?" variety.
I hated Riegert. I hated the wife. I hated the daughter. I hated the story. The acting. The editing. Everything about it.
And then, more than eleven years later, I forced myself to finish it. Out of spite, I guess. I don't know. It's on youtube for free, so I watched to the end.
And I discovered plutonium.
At the 45 minute mark, it transmogrifies into a completely different film.
Leo goes crazy and I begin laughing hysterically and I start to care deeply about what happens next to these people and ... and the whole dam thing becomes RIVETING.
For awhile. And then it goes back to being comatose. And sloooooow. And unwatchable. But I forced myself to continue on, like Job.
Then near the end, at the funeral, I cried.
Tears ran down my face. And when Leo notices (as did I) that "the companion" is off by herself, and he includes her, I at that moment ... began to love him.
DAM YOU, RIEGERT. WHY COULDN'T THE WHOLE FILM HAVE BEEN THIS STUNNING? Geez.
Here is my original review, more than eleven years ago (Oct 25, 2006):
It's nice that Riegert went on the road, etc etc - but nice does not a good film make. Isabella as the wife was completely absurd; Eli's over-acting was horrid - screeching like some old crow, desperately mugging for the camera. Hoffman's kid - ridiculously awful.
The father & mother wringing their hands over the daughter's lateness - simply not believably acted at all. There's more (a lot more) - but no point to continue.
What can I say? I *wanted* to love this thing, but it's just plain awful.
Maybe if Riegert makes a better film in the future, he'd have a better chance at distribution.