The Ballad Of Jack And Rose Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Jack (Daniel Day-Lewis) lives on the site of his abandoned island commune with his 16-year-old daughter Rose (Camilla Belle). Jack has sheltered Rose from the influences of the outside world, but now Rose's emerging womanhood poses troubling questions about the days ahead. A man who has lived a life motivated by environmentalism and other altruistic causes, Jack now rages at those who do not share his concerns, like developer Marty Rance (Beau Bridges), who is building a housing tract on the edge of his property. When Jack invites his girlfriend Kathleen (Catherine Keener) and her sons Rodney (Ryan McDonald) and Thaddius (Paul Dano) to live with them, Rose feels betrayed and the situation quickly becomes precarious. Rose acts out wildly, creating chaos. As everything flies out of control, Jack finds himself trapped in an impossible place and is forced to take action.
| Catherine Keener | Kathleen |
| Jason Lee | Gray |
| Camilla Belle | Rose Slavin |
| Paul Dano | Thaddius |
| Daniel Day-Lewis | Jack Slavin |
| Ryan McDonald | Rodney |
| Jena Malone | Red Berry |
| Beau Bridges | Marty Rance |
| Susanna Thompson | Miriam Rance |
| Rebecca Miller |
6.70 out of 10 (1976 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Okay, but not great
posted on 28 Aug 2009I saw the world premiere of "Jack and Rose" at the Sundance Film Festival, and I had such high hopes for this movie. And it delivering on some things - the cinematography was great. The location could not have been more beautiful and appropriate. The acting was very good (I thought that there were times when Camilla out-shown Daniel Day Lewis). However, i felt that the story was not as originally approached as it could have been. And the way the movie was edited didn't seem to go with the story. I understand using a disjointed time line in order to communicate confusion and other emotions, but in this case it was just distracted, and added absolutely nothing. I was also disappointed that some of the sub-stories did not fully develop when they were some of the most interesting parts of the movie.The ending is very beautiful and does a good job of tying up the movie - until the epilogue. The director said that she would never consider taking the epilogue out, but I think that it needs to be handled differently. It seems like she thinks her audience is stupid by putting the title "2 years later" - it's pretty clear from the location change and change in appearance of the character that it's later. Come on, give us some credit.I think that if this film was re-edited, it would be much, much better.
No meaningful resolution
posted on 19 Jul 2009This movie had great potential, but it was flawed in that there was no resolution of the conflicts the movie itself raised. I expected to see a more literary and better developed "Life as a House" but instead got some sort of a new age-y 7th grade symbolism fest.The basic premise is compelling. A man who started a commune finds that he is utterly alone and so unable to interact with the outside world that he fears he will doom his daughter unless he can establish ties for her before he dies. So he brings in Catherine Keener and family as an instant family. But instead of being able to create a sense of community and freedom, he reverts to anachronistic and autocratic control freak behavior, ostensibly the kind of behavior he shunned to start the commune in the first place.The trailer and reviews suggest that the early scenes of father and daughter which seem to suggest a relationship which is "too close" give way to something else. But nothing can be further from the truth. Instead we are given a relationship so poisoned that it is virtually incestuous.The most interesting thing to me is that Jack's archenemy and despoiler of the environment is a home builder. It is that character who truly cares and has genuine values in his relationship. However, instead of embracing his realization of this paradox, he collapses and dies in the end, a failure.And this is no hopeful ending. Instead of the daughter embracing ideas of the community of "normal" existence, she is seen in a new attempt to create a commune, this time elsewhere.But where is the life affirming change? Where is the growth of these characters? Each one simply repeats the mistakes of their past. Catherine Keener's character continues her miserable life. Her sons are no better off. The developer will continue to develop. And Rose will attempt to hang on to the very ideals that doomed her father to failure.This movie was very close to a waste of time. Not because of the questions which it raised, but for its failure to provide an answer for viewers to cling to.
how much i hate this film
posted on 11 Jun 2009This was the worst film I have ever seen it didn't make sense at all. two hours of my life i will never get back and tats how i really feel then i wasted a further half hour on two people telling them how awful this film was so over all 3 hours of my life and how ever long it takes me to rite this comment i will never get back. i have read over some peoples comments and i really don't get how any body liked this film and some people say it changed there life how answer me tat how?? now i don't now about any other countries but in Ireland it went straight to DVD and now i now why because it was so rubbish. like Wat was up wit rose gagging for it and then her brother (Paul Dano) having sex wit her i wanted to get sick and then she hung the sheet on the line shes gone in the head and then kissing her dad that was disgusting and what i really didn't get about the film was the end actually i didn't get the whole thing but the end what was that when the camera went to Gary(Jason lee) he kissed some woman then he turns his head and you see rose some body explain as i was like what the hell just happened there? overall as u mite of guessed i disliked the film and wouldn't recommend it to any one.
The actress playing the daughter, the director/writer
posted on 28 May 2009Just weren't up to the job. Admittedly the script was suppose to be witty and profound but everything about it seemed so forced and familiar. It was like a really good film school project, amateurish best describes it. Also, the Jack and Rose were too well groomed and hip to the styles of the day to be truly believable as two people who have lived like hermits, virtually alone for 15 or so years. Oh and WAY too many lingering one shots of imagery meant to provoke some canned response (forboding, transformation. etc/)from the viewer but somehow just seem entirely out of context and obvious, again a new director trying out old tricks and nothing to them. I really wonder if Daniel Day Lewis would have done this if his wife wasn't the director/writer, etc. It's really below his usual fare and he really didn't communicate his character very well. He didn't explain himself much and what he did say was confusing and were in conflict with his actions. He's dying of some heart disease which hasn't stopped he hand-rolled chain smoking ways, I don't know if he smokes knowing it doesn't make any difference, he's a dead man walking OR if his continued smoking has actually made his heart attack inevitable, that if he had stopped he would have lived longer? I was really hoping he would "pass over" in the model home. He would have hated that. The irony! But know we have a pseudo psycho movie ending with an overly dramatic, not to mention the melodramatic and "distraught" daughter setting up her father's (now dead, flower decorated corpse) to be the end domino in a gasoline doused trail of memorabilia from his ex-wife (her mother) postcards, letters, etc. Finally she sets the flame to action only to "escape" out thew window and fairy the power boat off to..........two years later, and a new actress playing Rose (who has dramatically plumped up and is not nearly as luminous) is arranging flowers in her, what appears to be, self-funded flower co-op. And guess who is there with her? Yeah, the weird Jason Lee character that obviously had been heavily cut from the movie. I mean, were we suppose to glean something from his "emotions" - if that's the case than I flunk "Jasonese" - I mean this is the guy who named his kid "Rocket Inspektor" or something equally crazy - well after all he is a Scientologist and that tells you about everything you need to know about him, at least at this point in his life). One prop I will give him is his role in "Almost Famous" loved him in that movie. Loved that movie. This one was just....excruciatingly boring and just not very well acted or written, or directed, or costumed, or...oh you get my drift.
Father and daughter
posted on 08 May 2009This film disappeared locally right after its theatrical debut, so when IFC showed it recently, we rushed to catch up with it. Having admired its director, Rebecca Miller in all her films, we were right in seeing it in the wide screen of the main theater because that seems to be the perfect way to watch this intimate picture.Ms. Miller takes us to an island off the coast of the continental mainland to set her story. As the film opens we watch Jack Flavin with his teen age daughter as they are perched on the roof of their strange cabin with the roof being made of lawn grass. They are father and daughter who have stayed in the land where years ago, had been a commune. We don't know what happened to Rose's mother, and nothing is clarified. We gather Jack and Rose have a special bond that at times border in incest.Jack believes in keeping the island the way it is; development is coming fast and furious in the way of luxury homes being built in what probably will be a gated community where people of the same background and financial means will live, in sharp contrast as the commune idea that attracted Jack to the place. Jack, having inherited money from his father is financially secure, but still lives in a primitive way in a basic type of life. We see Jack as he takes pills; we realize he is not a well man.When Jack takes a side trip to the mainland, he visits Kathleen, a single mother with two teen aged sons. Jack convinces her to come to live with him at the island. What Jack doesn't count is on Rose's reaction to the invasion to her space. In fact, the hatred for the invaders is instant. Katheleen, a kind woman herself, tries to reach Rose without any success. Rodney, one of the sons, has a weight problem, and has studied to be a hairdresser. Thaddius, is the rebel, who has an eye on the beautiful Rose.Jack's basic intention for bringing Kathleen is to help him during his last days because he senses his days are numbered. When Thaddius suffers an accident, Kathleen takes the opportunity to go back home, leaving Jack and Rose to fend for themselves.Ms. Miller takes an elegiac look at the situation making Jack into an almost Shakespearean character, that is, bigger than life. Jack is lovingly photographed in his many moods. The beautiful Rose's face shows all the emotions going on inside her. The director ought to be congratulated for involving us in the film and making us care for what will happen to Jack and Rose.Daniel Day-Lewis is an actor who doesn't work much these days and that is our loss! As Jack, Mr. Day-Lewis has the rare opportunity to show his vulnerability and seems to be naked in front of our eyes because he doesn't hide the emotions from us. We know at any given moment what this man is thinking and what makes him tick. Mr. Day-Lewis gives a fabulous performance as he dominates the picture completely.Camilla Belle is Rose. This young actress proves he is up to the task the director demands of her character. Not only is she beautiful, but she clearly exudes an innate intelligence that pays off in her portrayal of the girl who sees her world fall apart and has no way to stop what is killing her father.Catherine Keener makes a valuable contribution to the film as Kathleen. She clearly is a gentle soul who is in love with Jack and wants to stay with him until the end. That is not meant to be because Jack realizes that in "importing" her to the island she gets in the way of the perfect balance between father and daughter.Ryan McDonald makes the confused Rodney come alive. This young actor is a natural. The rest of the cast include minor appearances by Beau Bridges, Jason Lee, Jena Malone and Paul Dano, who plays Thaddius the other son."The Ballad of Jack and Rose" is clearly not for a wide audience because it's too intelligent to get a broader distribution, but the fans of Rebecca Miller will always cherish this film for what she brought to it and for the magnificent performances she got from her cast. The film is beautifully photographed Ellen Kuras and has an interesting score by Michael Rohatyn.
Special movie
posted on 27 Mar 2009This movie has the right actors and actresses, mood, soundtrack, scenario and scenery to make watching it a special movie-experience. You don't have to be under any influence to be able to let yourself drift with it, but it also makes you think a bit or a lot depending on your own mood. It's a great casting and shooting, I wouldn't touch it if I could. The way nature and people are portrayed shows a dedicated director. The story is not big and I'm happy that those stories can still catch an audience in this way. Maybe because it took me by surprise but the film has been in my head since I watched a while ago, which doesn't happen to me often but I consider it always to be a good thing. So a big recommendation!
I'm not a film critic - but I really loved this movie
posted on 27 Mar 2009Jack is rather selfish - but means well - and sickly. Hes been living on the island commune that he, his (now gone) wife and daughter have lived since 1969. Time goes on and life goes on, but Jack doesn't. He doesn't want his daughter spoiled by the monsters of the "real" world (hate, crime, socio disorders, jealousy, sex) and yet all of these he manages to bring to the island. Hes unwittingly uses his daughter to fill his wife's place (though he does go to the island to have sex with kathryn which his daughter knows nothing about) and in turn, Rose loves him totally - she worships him. He takes her out of school at 8 yrs and she builds her life around him. She knows he is going to die and she will die with him rather than live without him. Then he finally realizes she won't know what to do when she is alone. She keeps professing she will die with him. She needs to be prepared for society. But he clumsily dumps society on her by bringing home a woman he's known for 4 months and 2 teenage boys (would you have thought he would want 2 teenage boys around his daughter that he didn't even know???? - that threw me off) and the chaotic cycle begins. Of course Rose is jealous of Katherine - but Rose is a tad unstable and what other kids may think about doing she actually ACTS out what kids might feel when they are threatened by an outsider taking their place - she was a TAD overboard (this is said in humor...) As far as one article I read about her losing her virginity.... I felt she only did it to get even with dad and to hit him back with Jacks comment "this is just an experiment" when dad brings kathryn and boys to island. She tells the bad boy brother to "do" her only so she can hang the virginal bloody sheet on the the line and guess what it says???? "this is just an experiment." I think she really did want to make love to Rodney because she hated the wayhis mother treated him about being fat and "disgusting" and she also wanted to know what she was missing after seeing his bro was having oral sex with Rodneys friend and seeing Jack and Kathryn. But Rodney I don't think turned her down so much because he was scared, but because he felt fat and ugly and wasn't ready for anyone to see him naked. Also I think his feelings for Rose were tender and he didn't want her to do something so quick she may regret later.Then the insanity went on... da da da... And the "bad man" played well by Beau Bridges, still wants to build on their island (this has been on ongoing issue for years). Rose runs away to one of the new houses after she has shown a film exhibit of their hippie lifestyle to the family and gets attacked by the older brother - in which Jack goes berserk and accidentally throws him out the window. Kathryn freaks and all go back to the mainland to get away from psycho girl. Strangely Kathryn comes back (now would you after finding out Rose tried to kill you?) to take care of Jack. Rose won't come home unless Jack get rid of Kathryn. The fact that Jack eventually buys her off for$20,000 confirmed that the boys were right about her going and using man to man. Now father and daughter are alone again... he kisses her and freaks and feels such remorse but she is happy and he dies. She places flowers all around him and lays down next to him and sets the house on fire. At this point I thought she was going with him, but she listened to his final wish that she not die with him and left out the window with the house in flames. Somehow I was comforted that she found refuge with the "man who brought her plants" at the inland commune as I don't think she'd ever be ready for regular society (thought I must say she DID love the new house she hid in) and it ends so the movie ends with her still planting her gardens.I know there were parts that didn't fit in this movie but I really enjoyed it as I went for the whole feeling of what Miller was doing and not watching it to tear it apart. I'm glad I'm not a critic. Sometimes it just takes the fun out of us "regular" people enjoying a movie.
Strange and odd.
posted on 11 Mar 2009and I say this not in admiration. Daniel Day-Lewis is the Jack of the title, a hippie growing old with health problems, living on an expired commune-haven from the sixties on an island, now being encroached upon by developers. Daniel is a gifted actor and here he brings intensity with an edge of desperation to the role.Camilla Belle (Rose) plays his look-alike daughter, whose hormones are starting to ignite and the only male she knows is her father who has home-schooled her.Jack is dying and inveigles and bribes his mistress from the mainland to come live on the island with himself and daughter. Catherine Keener (Kathleen) is seriously underused in this role, but makes the most of it. She brings her two teenaged sons with her and then the fun begins.Rose is insanely jealous of this woman in her Dad's life and sets about losing her virginity with the first brother who will take her. Nasty act-out business with a sheet and blood-stains. Jack succumbs to his daughter's rage and jealousy and bribes Kathleen to leave.The incestuous element in the film then comes to a head, averted by Jack at the last minute who then proceeds, in very short order, to breathe his last.Some really good elements- the sons were well done, particularly Ryan MacDonald as Rodney, lovely edge to him. Jena Malone shone in a small part.However the ending was a huge disappointment as if everyone ran out of juice and all they could do was project into the future with an older and wiser Rose, working in what looked like poverty (surely there was money from her father if not from the sale of the sought-after land.) Serious movie let-down.And those scenes in the show-house, puh-leese. No security? And Jack had never met the sons before they arrived on the island? And what happened to the mother of Rose? Why wasn't she simply dead from the Big C (or something)? And it felt like 3 hours, I was shocked to find out it was under 2. 5 out of 10. Forgettable.
ugh blah
posted on 07 Feb 2009This is a droll tale about some feral wookie types and their problems dealing with normal human behavior. Yeah you know the types with their shaggy hair and no shoes working out all night because they refuse to turn on the heater. If you are into really long pauses and reflection scenes coupled with silence and minutes passing uneventful I would recommend this yawner. Don't get too excited though ... or fall asleep cause in the end aliens come and change the whole thing... just kidding nothing happens... thats what happens... nothing. Some OK mandolin during the credits though I give it that (the whole script was probably written while this music droned) All in all i recommend this title for senior citizens with heart conditions, Jahovas Witnesses, Mormans, fridged women, and rehab clients. ... any one with strong emotional dependency issues really.
A powerful and affecting film.
posted on 16 Jan 2009This is a powerful and affecting film. I have a few quibbles about Ms. Miller's use of the camera and her editing, especially in the beginning as there were too many jerky cuts/unnecessary camera movements which were quite distracting. Thankfully they diminished as the film progressed.Camilla Belle's as Rose performance was surprisingly nuanced and rich for such a young actress, she didn't have one false note and was totally believable as this "feral," innocent, yet disturbed teen. All the supporting actors were excellent, the characterizations and dialogue engaging and true and the emotional unraveling harrowing.Day-Lewis' performance as Jack Slavin was outstanding. It hits you with such power that it left me flattened. While the credits ran I had to close my gaping jaw, peel myself off the movie chair and stumble up the aisle trying to absorb it all. Moment by moment he communicated paragraphs of information about Jack's multi-layered internal complexities with complete mastery and subtlety. The man's our finest film actor, period.This movie has an original voice, it doesn't pander and despite some visual clichés, it follows its own unique internal logic. Definitely worth seeing, especially for the performances of Day-Lewis and Camilla Belle.
a wonderful film
posted on 04 Jan 2009The Ballad of Jack and Rose is a gorgeous film. It is tender and generous. It is especially wonderful because at any moment Rebecca Miller, who wrote and directed it, might have tripped. The material she is working with is that delicate. But second by second as the film unfolds, frame by frame, there is never a false step. Never a false note sounds. The integration of social and personal issues is seamless. Commitment and belief are presented as inherent characteristics of the people she presents. The actors who portray them work from their center outward and reveal meaning by the way they convey their very presence on the screen. Miller goes down to the very center, shows the skull beneath the skin, and despite the harrowing drama she pulls from the depths is never shocking and always gentle. The film is sane as a hammer and sublime in the way The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare is sublime. It leaves the viewer equally subject to crying and laughing simultaneously. Rebecca Miller is the daughter of a great playwright and a great photographer, and both her progenitors would be deeply proud of her for this great moving picture.
Surprising and wonderful
posted on 27 Dec 2008After not seeing much from Daniel Day-Lewis for a while, I was excited to see this film, though I was afraid it may not live up to what we expect from him. It was far better than I could have hoped, due not only to a terrific cast, but Rebecca Miller's writing and directing. The moments of humour ring with truth, and the characters have been developed so well, you feel voyeuristic. Daniel Day-Lewis is, as always, brilliant. The internal struggles his character goes through are poignant and completely believable. In fact, all of the characters in this story are a wonderfully realistic blend of black and white - all have virtues and all are flawed. Very thought-provoking and evocative. Visually beautiful, as well. This is a very underrated film and deserves far more recognition than it seems to have received.
A great surprise. Daring, intelligent, thoughtful, poignant.
posted on 17 Dec 2008This film deals with a lot of things and most of them aren't terribly controversial or taboo (except for the lynch pin of the whole movie, but I won't disclose that here) but they're all wonderfully told and simply beautiful to watch. This is an odd movie, with odd characters and odd situations, and yet it is so incredibly truthful. You'll have to watch it more than once to really get in there and see all of the layers and issues addressed, but it also won't all fly over your head the first time you see it.Daniel Day Lewis is mostly known these days for his roles in Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood, but this little film truly showcases the actor's range. First of all, his Scottish accent is dead on. Second of all, the man knows how to work as an actor. Rarely have I ever seen such a union of head acting and intuitive acting in a single man, but by god he's got it, and his talent lends to Jack's character 100 times over.I was surprised by Camilla Belle's performance as Rose. While I've technically seen better, Belle does have this certain quality that makes me believe her when she acts, and that's a fantastic thing to have as an actress. I really got a sense of her inner life, and how she took in the world around her. I'm excited to see how she grows.Everyone else in this film was simply wonderful. The writer/director obviously worked incredibly hard on this, and the fantastic quality of the finished product proves it.Be warned though: This film challenges the viewer's outlook on a VERY touchy subject, and not everyone likes to be challenged in that way. I would not recommend this to people who are stuck in their ways.
Day-Lewis and others shine in wife's aimless film
posted on 11 Nov 2008Two noted European screen actors have recently collaborated with their wives -- with results now on view in US theaters. Rebecca Miller directs Daniel Day-Lewis in 'The Ballad of Jack and Rose.' Sergio Castellitto debuts as director, starring with Penelope Cruz, in a movie made from his wife Margaret Mazzantini's novel, 'Non ti Muovere ('Don't Move'). While good communication and personal commitment are likely advantages of husband-and-wife collaborations, lack of objectivity could be a danger. But surely these should be performances worth watching? Yet for some reason, neither 'Don't Move' nor 'Jack and Rose' has met with wide approval from local critics. Let's consider why.'The Ballad of Jack and Rose' is far less eventful than Castellitto's turbulent 'Don't Move.' It begins with a situation: Jack, a dying man (Day-Lewis) lives with a beautiful teenage daughter named Rose (the radiant Camilla Belle) on a defunct island commune, where Jack owns the property through an inheritance. "As an experiment" and because his health condition may require more caretakers, Jack brings in a mature girlfriend, Kathleen (Catherine Keener), with her two half-brother sons, one a skinny young cocksman, the other, a big, bright, plump boy who's sensitive, perhaps sexually confused. All this may be likely to lead to something, but the story is not rich in incident. The overripe warmth, bordering on the incestuous, between Jack and Rose, is like a loaded weapon that's never really fired.Another hovering "situation" is an encroaching development of pseudo-colonial houses on the island which Jack amuses himself by sabotaging and threatening. The undramatic, conventional developer, played simply but very well by Beau Bridges, may be the most solid and real of the whole cast of characters.There are weapons fired, things set fire to, bones broken, but 'The Ballad of Jack and Rose' is more a mood piece than a chronicle of events and while the mood is strong enough to make you feel stuck on that island, it just sort of fizzles out. Yes, Day-Lewis is wonderful – and so, often, are the others: Belle is a strong, sure presence, and we get more inside her head than Jack's. Day-Lewis's Scottish accent is so well done it sometimes seems to be all that's happening.Rebecca Miller likes to follow characters whose lives are spinning out of control (as in 'Personal Velocity'), and this time her movie is more like a whole, but it still doesn't go anywhere. A situation isn't a story. When there are so many dangerous implications, more of them need to be worked out.It's obvious there's a coming of age element in Rose. Yet strong as Rose is in the movie, she seems to exist as a foil for Jack. And though Jack is the dominant figure it's never clear what he's about, or why we should be wasting so much of our time with him. A man so wrapped up in himself, who thinks all problems can be resolved by writing a check, is pretty tiresome to watch. Unless you're a die-hard fan of failed hippie communes or of Daniel Day-Lewis, you shouldn't bother.As for 'Non ti Muovere' ('Don't Move'), Sergio Castellitto's collaboration with his wife Margaret Mazzantini to adapt her novel, see that film's entry elsewhere on this site for my fuller comment, but it's an excessive melodrama, though perhaps a more interesting film than 'The Ballad of Jack and Rose.' At any rate it gives both Castellitto and Cruz a chance to play the kind of all-out, soulful roles they may both have only dreamed of till now. But 'Don't Move' still leaves us in doubt as to whether Castellitto has it in him to make a truly memorable movie. Finally one has to conclude that despite all the good will in the world, both actors may, alas, be better off working separate from their wives.
What is this movie about???
posted on 31 Aug 2008I thought this was truly going to be a story about a man who wanted to raise his daughter in a specific way - "green" the descriptions said. Okay - I get that. So the movie starts, and there is a man and his daughter, but I cannot figure out their history or current story. There is definitely something not quite right about not only their relationship, but the daughter. She seems otherworldly, but not in a good way. So far out there that quite possibly she would never be redeemed. I am left to assume that this is a throwback to the hippy generation and somebody's misguided attempt to show that "the life" of communes and living on the land with no actual need for not only the necessities, but the standards, of modern day was the way to go and the rest of us really missed the boat. That's one ship on which I am happy not to have sailed! At least I know why I have never seen this movie associated with Daniel Day Lewis or one of my favorite actresses, Catherine Keener. This work was quite below what they are able to give. The end? I'm still shaking my head and rolling my eyes.
extremely disappointing, naively bad
posted on 08 Jul 2008this movie was naively bad. it qualifies as poorly written and directed. the symbolism was extremely heavy handed and all plot movement was too heavily predicted. writing and directing was freshman "indie film" level. this film suffered from the "i am married to daniel day lewis and daughter of arthur miller" so therefore i get to make this film and get it distributed. speaking of daniel day, i doubt if he would have considered this role if he wasn't married to rebecca miller ( the director ). catherine keener, who is usually interesting in contemporary films, was poorly cast. daniel day lewis, who is usually spectacular when he has a script and role worthy of his talents, suffered trying to carry the whole film. the premise, however is interesting. it could have been a good film, in the hands of someone more talented.
A father and daughter live in a former commune in an ideal setting which eventually becomes difficult and complex.
posted on 30 Jun 2008A beautifully written story about an intimate father/daughter relationship rarely seen in films. Everyone in the cast is outstanding. Ryan McDonald in his first film has made a dramatic debut and will go far. The film is multi-layered and the story lingers long after seeing the film. Rebecca Miller genes are showing and it comes as no surprise that her father is the playwright Arthur Miller. Daniel Day Lewis, Rebecca's husband, once again shows his astounding acting range. Catherine Keener has a authentic charm and we can't help but love her. The setting on Prince Edward Island is gorgeously photographed and the setting is ideal for the story which seems like a Greek tragedy. The film says a lot about civilization in this country.
Career advice for Daniel
posted on 14 Jun 2008I registered for this site because I have such strong opinions about Daniel's career choices. You just might be his biggest fan. You were incredible in your past movies, especially My Left Foot. I think you are the world's best screen actor. And I respect you for not jumping at every bad script that comes your way.BUT...it is time to look elsewhere for your directors and projects, Daniel! Your performance was superb as always, but the caliber of this project was beneath you. Your wife created a very murky, shapeless, boring movie. Regarding your co-star(Rose), I felt that she often seemed too aware of the camera.
Disturbing, beautiful.
posted on 29 Apr 2008Not for the squeamish of heart. Not because of violence or anything, but it is a disturbing kind of movie, touching on isolation, bad parenting, snakes, incest, urban sprawl, drugs, ideals gone awry, the similarities of enemies and death.I'm usually fond of Catherine Keener, but I really wanted to slap the ever-lovin' crap out of her in this movie. Then set the snake on her. Bitch.Camilla Belle is weirdly transcendent as Rose, the dangerously innocent teenaged daughter. "Wild Thing" as Keener's character's extra-creepy son puts it. (there are two sons. One extra-creepy, one only mildly creepy) Daniel Day-Lewis continually amazes me at the rigors he puts himself through to achieve accuracy of role. As Jack, it is quite believable that he's a man on the short road to death. His body looks as though a light wind would knock him down, and when I saw him shirtless, I wondered how he could breathe with no space for his lungs to exist in his sunken chest. It was like looking at Gollum.Beautifully directed by Rebecca Miller, who also wrote the novel on which it's based. Cinematographically (is that a word?) it's stunning- she's well on her way to being a much sought out director if she can direct someone else's works with the same deft touch as she uses on her own.Anyway- not one for the kiddies, and it's left me feeling melancholy and kind of empty. Sad for the characters I was pulling so hard for.I liked it. :)
Lovely and heartbreaking
posted on 30 Aug 2009There's nothing more exciting than seeing quality work come from a group of unknowns. While Daniel Day Lewis and Catherine Keener are the marquee name anchors for the film the most delightful surprises come from Camilla Bell and Ryan McDonald who give honest and often very mature performances. McDonald in particular has a knack for off-beat humor and gets some of the best lines in the film. Given the gorgeous setting, the beautiful cinematography and the high caliber writing I can't think of a better film I've seen so far this year. The movie is not without its flaws, but they're minimal in relation to all the elements that are wonderfully right.