Ed's Review Dot Com

Why Not Productions, Worldview Entertainment, Orange Studio,

Benicio Del Toro, Mathieu Amalric, Gina McKee, Larry Pine, Joseph Cross, Gary Farmer, Michelle Thrush, Misty Upham

Jimmy Picard is a Native American former soldier who received a severe battle injury which fractured his skull. He is now suffering from numerous problems including terrible headaches, forgetfulness and a lack of focus and concentration. The V.A. is trying to find a cause, but cannot determine any physical problem, so the only thing they can figure out is that it must be a mental problem. In an unconventional move, they pull in Dr. Georges Devereux (Mathieu Amalric) who is a psychoanalist, not a doctor nor licensed, because of his knowledge of Native American culture as a therapist for Jimmy. As time passes the bond between these two unlikely friends grows as they work through to find out Jimmy’s problem and perhaps set the groundwork for future Post Traumatic Shock cases for which a definition did not exist yet at the time.

This is an independent film, so is sometimes plodding with lots of character development, but it’s a uniquely wonderful story. Benicio Del Toro, who is Puerto Rican, is perhaps a rather strange choice to play a Blackfoot character, but he does his best. The accent is somewhat off it seems, but who am I to know. The story is really beautifully told and is really gripping. Jimmy has many dreams, most of the recurring, and this is a study of dream analysis as well. It’s based on a book by Georges, this is based on a true story. Though not the primary focus, there is look at whether Jimmy’s experiences and treatment were affected by his heritage and the general treatment of Native Americans, but it doesn’t take away from the story of Jimmy and how his experiences affect him and his entire family. A very good character study and a deeply moving story. The friendship between the two is very touching, and as strange as the situation, it proves a lot that people are basically the same no matter where they come from. I really enjoyed this film, and found it well worth watching and I recommend this one as something quite out of the mainstream. It’s definitely not ordinary in any way.

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Weinstein Company, The, Jean Doumanian Productions, Smokehouse Pictures,

Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Sam Shepard, Misty Upham

Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) has an addiction to drugs and booze, and now is suffering from Cancer. She’s tough to put up with, and her husband has finally had it and has walked out. Her daughters come back home to visit, and during the time together, all the family secrets come out and long built up resentments bubble out in a classic family battle. Each one is forced to look at herself and what they see is not all that pretty.

This is a story of a really, really dysfunctional family. Most people have no idea what it’s like to grow up like this, and the problems you have to face, but I can imagine it’s a lot more common than most of us might think. I was impressed with the acting put in by these excellent performers. What a stunning lineup of stars. But I wasn’t as impressed with the story line. I can’t put my finger on what I didn’t like, but the story is just uncomfortable. Now sometimes a story can be uncomfortable for a greater purpose. But in this one, I didn’t get that feeling at all. It was kind of like being on a double date with a friend and his girl when they suddenly get into a horrible fight. You’re trapped in the back seat with nothing to do or say to but just feel uncomfortable. That’s the kind of feeling I had here. I sat through it, but never really felt at ease. The relationships are badly broken. This is a very unusual character for Meryl Streep. You want to feel bad for her, but you just can’t, she’s not a nice character. It’s a very unusual film, and may be well liked by the right crowd, but as for me, I could have skipped this one. It’s ok, but just not that stellar.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog