For the
sake of not having to write the same intro a million
different ways throughout the rest of time, just know that
this column avoids the overly long and sometimes dull
process of full film reviews and instead opts to break
things down based on what I thought going in, what happened
while I was there and what I learned at the end of it all.
Thanks for reading!
The
Breakdown - The Yellow Handkerchief
The Impression:
A Debbie Downer
independent film that's been gathering dust on the shelves
for almost two years, only to see light in the wake of
Kristen Stewart's disturbingly meteoric rise to fame? Well,
at least it's a road-trip film, and I love a good road trip
film.
The Reality:
A breathtaking
character study of three very lost soul who's lives
intertwine on an unexpected road trip through the South.
William Hurt's performance as Brett Hanson, an ex-con
recently released from prison, is, quite simply,
magnificent. Hanson's downfall is his nearly uncontrollable
anger, and William Hurt keeps the burning rage just below
the surface, always a heart-beat away from lashing out.
Eddie Redmayne is so believable in the film, I can only
imagine that this isn't acting, that if you were to drive
across the South in a powder blue convertible with him at
the wheel, this is exactly how he'd be. Kristen Stewart, still shockingly
bland in every role, manages to amble along exuding her
trademark bruised anguish.
Softly beautiful with a script that allows it's leads to
truly shine, I recommend nearly every moment of this film,
but
know
this: leave the theater exactly two minutes before the
credits roll, as the last shot of the film nearly decimates
the hard-won good will that has come before. Honestly, one
of the worst, patched on conclusions of any film I've ever
seen.
The Lesson:
Ninety minutes of amazing film can be brutally raked across
the coals by a
terrible
ending.
Noah Sanders is the blog/news editor at Light In The
Attic and a contributor at Sound On The Sound and
the KEXP blog. He also has his own
Criterion-based film site, Criterion Quest.
If you'd like to contact Noah in regards to his
writings here at Side One: Track One then please do
so
here.
- Noah Sanders
-
-
Unless
otherwise expressly stated, all text in this blog and any
related pages, including the blog's archives, is licensed by
John Laird under a
Creative Commons License.
