Day On Fire Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
The lives of a Palestinian journalist and a Jewish model become inextricably, and shockingly, intertwined after they meet by accident in New York.
| Richard Bright | |
| Martin Donovan | Walter Evering |
| Noah Fleiss | |
| Robert Khakh | Mystery Man |
| Avi Tairy | Bomber |
| Carmen Chaplin | Najia |
| Olympia Dukakis | Dr. Mary Wade |
| Judy Kuhn | Judy |
| Jamie Rae | Medical Technician |
| Alyssa Sutherland | Shira |
| Jay Anania |
4.70 out of 10 (54 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Left only with 'Why?'
posted on 21 Apr 2007It blows me away that such good directing and editing work were put into a story that lacks the basics of what it takes to achieve what it aims for.So many characters that occupied significant parts of the film had virtually NOTHING to add to the story, and the causes that supposedly drive the plot were either badly overblown or completely unrelated. The level of disconnectedness actually puts to question the otherwise fine acting of almost everyone in 'Day On Fire'. Come to think of it, I had another issue with this film...why is it called 'Day on Fire'? Even on a symbolic level, nothing really was on fire!In short, nothing is connected and nothing is clear in this film...hence your left with asking yourself the question...'Why?'
waiting for nothing
posted on 21 Sep 2006Don't expect a good film, because it isn't. It's like the series big brother, constantly focusing on daily life. While I was waiting for something meaningful to happen, something to finally draw me into the film and enjoy it. But this moment never came. The throwing around with filmed hints and details of the main figures just gets boring. Why? Because you never get to connect with these people. The music is quite nice, but nothing is really developing in the film itself. You just see and hear fragments of the life of the main characters that happened before. And then in the end, there is a sick twist. The film promises a portrait of ordinary people under extreme circumstances. But actually it's a boring film about a bunch of extremely sad characters in everyday situations. Except for the end, that is. Nothing in it for me. All in all: it's just a film about time passing by, accented by small or big events until it's time to die. A waste of my time it was.
A beautiful vision of how chance encounters can have unexpected consequences
posted on 06 Aug 2009Jay Anania's new film, "Day on Fire," is a haunting story about a Palestinian journalist and a Jewish model who meet by accident in New York, and whose lives become inextricably, and shockingly, intertwined. The remarkable cast is led by the always-excellent Martin Donovan, playing an enigmatic man, handsome, solitary, and fastidious, who's on a kind of quest through the streets of the city that will bring him into contact with one of these women, in a way one could never predict. Carmen Chaplin (granddaughter of that other Chaplin), gives an exquisite performance of a woman who is carrying on her shoulders a personal grief, as well as the weight of her people's struggles, as she pursues her own search for understanding. And Alyssa Sutherland, an actress I hadn't seen before, plays the model with great dignity and unusual intelligence. The struggles that are playing out on the other side of the world are reflected here, both in the sadness that darkens their lives, and in the hope their shared emotions gives rise to. A lovely performance by Olympia Dukakis, and a cameo by the wonderful Richard Bright (The Godfather, among many others), playing a homeless man, and filmed shortly before his untimely death, are worth the price of admission. A gorgeous series of duets by the singer Judy Kuhn and the pianist John Medeski provide a kind of poetic counterpoint to the main story. The cinematography, by Kathryn Westergaard, shooting in hi-definition video, is beautiful, unsurprising for this filmmaker who always makes us look at the world through fresh eyes. A movie to see again and again.