When I began watching "Telling Nicholas," I felt as if I'd have to keep putting my hand in front of my face, knowing what this film's about, but not knowing the timing of the film. The beginning had me very intrigued.....then the craziness started: One of the sisters goes into a "catatonic" state, where she would act as though she couldn't answer any questions, even when people would look right into her eyes. Then, out of nowhere, she would answer....sometimes. The second sister took an online course in "Naturality", got a PhD and could see demons and spirits and Jesus and she told the first sister something that put her in the catatonic state....we never did find out what she told her. Oh, and she lives in her parent's basement and, according to her brother-in-law, never leaves. The mom/grandmother seemed very mean and hateful to me, prejudicial (ALL Muslims should be tortured before they are killed), might as well throw in possibly racial since she probably would have been...had she had a chance to comment about afro-Americans or asians. Then there's the fainting spells. Evidently, she faints easily.....looked to be about every 30 seconds or so. I'm honestly surprised she wasn't black and blue everywhere from her fainting spells. The boy that the film's about is 7yo but, seems to me, to be very toddler-like. He didn't seem to have a realistic grasp on reality, not just concerning 9/11, but with his life in general. When he was told his mother died in the attack on the towers, he sounded like he cried for a second, then he asked his dad if they could go out and get "another wife" and even suggests, "Can we go tomorrow?" Like I wrote, I was intrigued in the beginning, but then the theatrics started. It seemed very unrealistic and contrived to me. For me, the best part was when the mean grandma actually walked down the sidewalk with the Muslim boy, who was also portrayed in the film, with his family knowing that his father was also killed in the attack. They seemed more genuine to me. Maybe the film should've been about them.
Review of Telling Nicholas
