Northfork

On the strength of one of my Netflix Friends (a very cool feature of the service, if you ask me) ratings I rented this film. I knew this was bare-budget independent filmmaking and I knew that the Polish brothers focus on "Americana," in particular ways of viewing America we're not used to. (Their first film was about conjoined twins and their love affair(s) in Idaho.) As a result, I figured this would be spare in terms of dialogue and full of expansive vistas. How right I was. But it edges into your heart as you watch it -- your sympathy and empathy for the characters grows -- and that's a little strange because the film is a little strange. Its structure seems almost non-existent at first, until you realize that you've understood what's been happening for some time. Essentially the tale of a town about to be swallowed up by an impending dam's lake, the characters are all searching for something they feel they need to do before it's too late. The urgency is what keeps the film moving forward, but the pacing (and those vistas!) are what give it its flavor. Besides, I'm more and more impressed with James Woods. First he was great in The Virgin Suicides and now he glues this entire movie together. He has the best lines, specifically during the meet-and-greet outside the dam and in the cafe scene. Nick Nolte is surprisingly excellent as well, although I am more and more convinced that he's just playing himself. Which is kinda scary. My favorite part of the film was the band of misfits who befriend the child. They all have strange names and are lacking something important: Happy has no hands, Cod doesn't speak and Flower has no hair. Why would messengers from heaven have failings? Perhaps the most interesting enigma in the film.

year: 2003
length: 103 min.
rating: 3.5
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0322659/combined