I hate this! Hate it, hate it, hate it!Aug 19 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Blu-ray and DVD Players
The Bottom Line My final recommendation is Things Behind the Sun because it's one of the highest IMDB rated (8 1/2 of 10 stars) films this year.
Epinions has again reduced me to resorting to subterfuge in order to express an urgent opinion of a priceless film achievement. There is no entry for this film in the epinions database, so I have to go through the motions of picking the "Ten Best" in order to include what will inevitably be a "must include" in others' "Ten Best" lists. OK, let's play the game. My 10 Best (subject to change at the drop of a hat or other trivial inspiration) without explanation or justification until I arrive at the one for which I am going through all this nonsense. Just so that no one misunderstands me, SHAME ON YOU, EPINIONS, FOR NOT INCLUDING THIS FILM IN YOUR DATABASE!!!!! 10. Stagecoach (the John Ford / John Wayne version) 9. Ed and His Dead Mother 8. Doctor Zhivago 7. The Loved One 6. Frankenstein (LOVE that Boris Karloff) 5. Dracula (Bela Lugosi has to have his due) 4. Of Mice and Men (Lon Chaney Jr. is the ONLY Lenny) 3. Easy Rider 2. Unfaithfully Yours (Linda Darnell, Sexy Rexy Harrison) 1. Things Behind The Sun -- and THIS is the one! This film was first released as an independent film at the Sundance Film Festival in January of this year. It earned the writer/Director a full five minute standing ovation at its ending. The next release was in April of this year at the Los Angeles Film Festival, again with overwhelming acceptance and appreciation. It then went to the Czech Republic for the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in July of this year -- same results. Its subsequent distribution has been virtually nil because now, in August "of this year" things Behind The Sun has debuted on the Showtime Channel via satellite/cable TV! The Writer/Director is Allison Anders, working with co-writer Kurt Voss. Don't you dare ask who Allison Anders is or what she has done!!! She is one of the most potent forces among female film makers, and should be known for her past triumphs, Sugar Town, Grace of My Heart, Gas Food Lodging, and Mi vida loca. Unfortunately, of the five films named, only the last two are available on VHS. To enjoy the rest, you hve to either catch them (unlikely) in an art film house or on satellite/cable TV. Anders draws heavily on her own life-experience in all of her films, even the flawlessly latino culture Mi vida loca. In Things Behind the Sun she becomes virtually autobiographical, examining in detail the effects of her own rape at the age of 12 years. There have been other films that gave varying degrees of nod to rape, even Doctor Zhivago saw Lara raped, but the films seemed unable to handle adolescent victims. The best effort to date wasn't American, but the Italian film, Two Women with Sophia Loren. This film, however, uses no subterfuges, hints, inuendos, or other avoidance. Anders wrote a script that went deeply into her own reactions to her adolescent violation, and to the effects it had upon her life as she matured. This is particularly potent for me because my own daughter was raped by her stepfather (I refuse to capitalize the title of that illegitimate product of a discarded condom) when she was seven years old and we are now, ten years later, still involved in therapy because of it. Anders doesn't pull any punches, neither does she allow the film to become a preachy anti-rape tract. She used the film as a vehicle for her personal catharsis, going back to the actual location of her own rape so many years ago. The town is Cocoa Beach, Florida, and the house shown in the film is the very same house that was the scene of her rape in the mid-sixties. This doesn't sound like much, and can't until you see the film. At that point you will marvel at the guts it must have taken to make this film. Like her other films, Anders has chosen to use actors who are either little known or unknown so that fame won't interfere with their credibility in their respective roles. This doesn't mean that the actors are anything less than powerhouses of talent and ability. It does mean that you will be rocked to your very core by their performances without once being distracted by "He/She is doing great in this role, but I think he/she was better in ....." So, just who are the actors. Some of them you know but, unless you read the advance credits and are looking for someone in particular, you'll just sit there during the cast-crawl at the end and mutter "Omigawd, was that her/him?" The central character is Sherry, played by Kim Dickens. If you don't see her in many more movies in the near future, someone in Hollywood is certifiable. Sherry is the lead vocalist for a band she considers her own, and she writes melancholy songs that reflect her outlook on life as a surviving rape victim. Sherry is a character you will NOT forget -- ever! The manager of Sherry's Band, and her former lover, is Chuck, played by Don Cheadle. While Sherry's internal ghosts drag her to bed with almost every man willing to try her out, Chuck has the empathic perspective that allows him to see in her the innocent little girl who had her life stolen by an act of violence. In short, he loves her with a depth that can't be shaken by her promiscuity. Even though he is ridiculed as "Captain Save-the-Ho" he doesn't give up. Although Cheadle hasn't done much outside of Spike Lee's films and some of the other Black directors, he literally shines here. Chuck demands and wins your respect for his unfashionable fidelity. A contributor to Sherry's problems appears in the person of Owen Richardson, played by new-faced Gabriel Mann. Owen is a columnist for a Rock Music magazine who comes to interview Sherry and her Band. It is at this point that I will tell you no more about this marvelous jewel of cinema art. It will rock you, no doubt of that. It isn't a tear-jerker, but neither are there any laughs. It's a generally unpleasant but ultimately rewarding slice of life -- plain old ugly life! The story is carried to its final thought provoking resolution by many people who contributed, either largely or more frequently a little to the final seamless tapestry that is the survival of a rape victim. Roseanna Arquette (a friend and favorite of Anders') plays Pete, and don't pick her part to visit the john -- she's good. CCH Pounder is another character actor who hasn't had that much opportunity to show her ability. Despite having plenty of roles, CCH (stands for Carol Christine Hilaria - all relatives in Guyana) has been limited in her chances to show off. She may be remembered as Dr. Angela Hicks in the ER TV series. CCH plays Judge. Elizabeth Pena shows up, briefly and empathically, as the current occupant of the house in which Sherry (and Director Anders) were originally raped. Eric Stoltz, who hasn't done much recently and thereby is more effective in his role, plays the rapist who is now in prison. Unrepentent and defiantly self-excusatory, Stoltz quickly establishes himself as someone you love to hate. Oh, I could go on and on about this film, but I prefer to warn you now to keep an eye on the Showtime movie schedule for this one. It played as a Showtime production and, therefor, will probably appear frequently for a while at least. Watch for it, see it while you can, and PRAY that they decide to issue it either on cassette or DVD -- it's a dynamite movie!  |
| Read all comments (4)|Write your own comment |
