When Did You Last See Your Father?

On occasion I hope to write a series of movie reviews of films I've recently viewed via my friend's at Netflix, however I also have quite an overwhelming backlog of films I'd also like to eventually review if/when I get the time.

The title of this blog is the film I watched last night. It's a smaller scale character driven independent film. These are the types of film I tend to enjoy. It's a "daddy issue" film, and since I have a few "daddy issues", I cautiously welcome films such as this with keen interest infused with apprehension.

A couple of these films have touched me emotionally, apparently striking a nerve that, much to my distress, opens the flood gates. I prefer to view such films privately for obvious reasons. Occasionally I'll be watching a film I know next to nothing about and a "DI" will spring up causing me to clench my teeth and render my eyes of any moisture. Wow, my allergies are suddenly acting up.

I have a very good friend, (with "DI's") who tends to react similarly. Two films which come to mind immediately are Big Fish and Field of dreams. The latter being a baseball film not at all about baseball. I was never a huge sports fan. I find these films not to be of much interest to women.

I'm not sure why I subject myself to them. Perhaps I'm looking for them to help in the healing process or possibly I just like to torment and torture myself. Probably a bit of both. I apologize for the lengthy prelude. Anyone familiar with this blog is aware that happens frequently. Let's finally get to the review, shall we.

This film, directed by Anand Tucker, stars academy award winner Jim Broadbent, (Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Bridget Jones) and Colin Firth, (The English Patient, Bridget Jones, Shakespeare in Love, Love Actually). They play father and son. The son seems to hold some deep resentment for his father, which the father seems oblivious to. The relationship wasn't terrible, but the father had a habit of being negative. Instead of building up his son through acknowledgement and praise, he tends to regularly correct him, while dismissing accomplishments, even the small ones. This often occurs in front of others.

The story is told in flashbacks, reverting back and forth to the present. Many of the flashbacks flip between the man as a child and awkward teen. Early on in the film we discovery his father is struck ill with an incurable cancer and doesn't have much time left to live. The son struggles with attempting to finally tell his father how he's felt all these years hoping to resolve the resentment and distance that the boy has created between himself and his father.

The son is aware he doesn't have much time to communicate his heart, and at every possible chance to do so it seems a situation arises that disallows him that moment he longs for. Although the sons emotions are shown to be subtle, his quiet desperation can be seen.

The acting is well done by these veteran English actors. It's simply a good film and worth a look. This quiet little film is somewhat slow moving with few surprises as well as a few cliches. With that in mind, this film may, or may not be your cup of tea. (get it? silly English reference).

As my sense of film sets in, as well as my Virgo sensibilities, there is an emotionally devastating, well done and touching scene towards the end of the film, where I feel it actually should have ended. If ended there, and if you watch it you'll understand, it would probably please very few of the audience, however at this point he finally shows the emotions he's been holding in check for most of the film. The rest that follows that scene seems tacked on to me. Perhaps that was indeed how the film ended, but when shown to a test audience (which I tend to frown on) the studio heads decided that a re edit or re shoot was necessary to bring about a more solid resolution.

I believe sometimes a film shouldn't have a nice tidy ending. Everything resolved for the audience. Nice and neat. Occasionally I think some of these studios think the audience to be somewhat dim, feeling the need to spell everything out, having the audience leave the theater happy, smiling, and satisfied.

I'll give you a "for instance". If you've seen Sideways, what makes the film more satisfying for me was the open (to interpretation) ending. Was she home? Would she reject him? Would she let him in? That ending, to me, made a decent film slightly better. If you've not seen sideways it too is worth a look. It's a bit better in my opinion than the previously reviewed film, though not as emotionally satisfying.

Could someone bring me some more popcorn and a tooth pick please?