. And it pays off handsomely. Somewhere in the desolate Midwest, the town of Northfork is about to be drowned in the waters held back by a new dam. It's up to a group of men (in identical black suits and fedoras) to clear out the last stubborn landowners. Meanwhile, a deathly ill boy bargains with a delegation of heaven-sent searchers--at least that's what they seem to be. Is this
? That's the peculiar feel of this otherwise unclassifiable movie, which veers from academic artiness to wacky blackout humor. Who can explain the restaurant where diners must guess the lone menu item? And who would want to? James Woods and Nick Nolte lead a game cast through this oddly winning enterprise.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
Absolute Masterpiece, December 22, 2008
By
B. Vardi (Israel)
It's difficult to convey the profoundness of this film:
It emphasizes that our loved ones alive must be cherished since there is nothing which is eternal and that their nearness and company is all there is.
It sharpens feelings of mourning for loved ones gone.
It evokes deep thoughts and feelings regarding health, compassion, attachment to physical things - land, home, a gravestone of a loved one.
The list is so long - the film is also a discussion on religion, bureaucracy, money, time, people who devote themselves for the common good - whether they are people of faith or whether they are just people of divine quality.
How the film manages to intertwine all these subjects and still come across as a coherent and profound meditation on these is beyond me, but alas it is there, an incredibly moving masterpiece, paradoxically - a proof and a validation of the beauty and ultimate divinity of humanity while at the same time being a very personal and humbling experience.
I have seen many hundreds of films, but none has affected me on so many levels, so profoundly and so vividly even years after viewing it, which in my opinion makes it absolutely and by far the best film I have ever experienced.
It is a must-see and must-own for everyone, at least those who come with the required openness and patience - and perhaps even a conscious vulnerability - to let this movie touch their very soul.
Not for everyone, October 25, 2008
By
A. Konchar (IL)
Let's be realistic. Angels, floods, dark and dreary landscapes, and wacky hangers-on add up to an uneven, yet moving fantasy. This is not a movie for fun. There is a smidgen of humor sprinkled about but this movie will tap on a person's soul to be let in and if you are sensitive enough you will be touched. Just take it for what it is: the earth doesn't move, the story doesn't say a great deal about anything; it just appeals to one's basic emotions. Nick Nolte is superb as the minister, James Woods is dynamite as always and the little boy IS an angel whether you want to believe him or not.
New Age, September 8, 2008
By
Latour07 (Paris, France)
I (unfortunately) was seduced by the jacket presentation of the DVD. Between dreams and dark reality, the film finds it difficult to take the course. Some sensitive images avoid the viewer from being engulfed by waves of fatigue.
A film truly boring and fake due to its seduction by the New Age.
Absolutely the worst movie I have ever sat through, no exception!!!, October 22, 2007
By
MovieMan (Nv. United States)
This movie is pointless, bizarre , inane, and totally without merit. I guess you would have to be as weird as the script writer to understand this movie. I thought I had broad tastes in movies and story lines, but this one just escaped me.......... James Woods, Nick Nolte, shame on you!
A Wonderful and Engaging Film, June 17, 2007
By
Charlie (Rome, Italy)
This film has great performances, wonderful writing, beautiful cinematography, and kind of an easygoing mysticism that pervades it. Once you start watching it, you can't stop. The commentary is entertaining as well.
