![]() Out of desperation, Jean takes her daughter to her father-in-law Einar’s (Redford) tumbledown wreck of a ranch in Wyoming. They abandoned the car and everything in it except what they could stuff in plastic bags. The car broke down in the middle of nowhere. Apparently the promise was to leave Gary, because mother and daughter packed their belongings and drove off in a clunker of a car. When he beats up Jean yet again, Griff reminds her mother that the last time it happened she promised. ![]() The basic plot: Jean Gilkyson (Lopez) and her 8 year old daughter Griff (Gardner) live with Gary, an abusive boyfriend (Lewis). The different characters experience grief in their own ways, cling to it in their own ways, and ultimately work through it in their own ways. The film also features Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Josh Lucas, Damian Lewis, Camryn Manheim, and young Becca Gardner. ![]() Jennifer Lopez isn’t the only attraction. When I saw it on Netflix, I thought Why not give it another try? It’s crazy hard to find anything with a good lead female character on Netflix, and here was An Unfinished Life with Jennifer Lopez just waiting. Both try to function in a way that will allow them to continue.I watched 2005’s An Unfinished Life years ago and remember liking it. The characters played by Jodie Foster and Damian Lewis realize that if they are perceived as mad, all hope is lost for their search. Both films are excellent in their own ways, seeking their own intentions, aimed at different audiences. Regarding "Keane," I think of " Flightplan," the Jodie Foster thriller that opened a week earlier. In all three films, characters on the margins seek children they think will bring them happiness. She works in Manhattan, wants to leave the life, must escape a dangerous pimp. After "Clean, Shaven," he made " Claire Dolan" (1998), the story of an Irish prostitute (played by Katrin Cartlidge, 1961-2002, her early death from a sudden infection a sad loss after great performances). Kerrigan's films create worlds of personal obsession. Does he confuse Kira with his lost daughter? He is terrified of the responsibility he has suddenly been given. What will happen? The suspense grows not out of the child's danger, if she is in any, but out of Keane's fears about himself. Which Keane is it? The mother goes seeking her husband, and entrusts Kira to Keane overnight. This Keane might have made a good father. Will Keane meet her, bring her home, and keep an eye on her from 4 to 7? He will. Keane receives disability checks, and gives Lynn money, which she needs badly enough to accept, especially since he is in a sweet, calm phase, and doesn't want anything for it, or at least not anything she might not be willing to provide. Her husband has abandoned them, maybe to seek work, maybe to escape. In a cheap flophouse, he meets Lynn ( Amy Ryan) and her 7-year-old daughter, Kira ( Abigail Breslin). The camera regards him mercilessly, and his performance involves us because he portrays not hopeless madness but his drive to escape his demons. There is no reason for us to believe that Keane (or his daughter) would be better off if he found her. Here he inhabits an edge of madness that Lodge Kerrigan understands with a fierce sympathy. Keane is played by Damian Lewis, a British actor recently seen in " An Unfinished Life" as the abusive boyfriend of Jennifer Lopez. His episodes of abandon and confusion alternate with moments when he is quiet and tries to calm himself and focus. He reminds himself he must look presentable to go on his search. Did Keane have a daughter, did she disappear, did she even exist? There is an enormous difference between the two films, generated by the urgency of Keane's desire to function in the world. Keane, like Peter Winter, the subject of Kerrigan's " Clean, Shaven" (1995), is a schizophrenic on a quest for his daughter. This search has been part of the daily life of the man, named William Keane, who then retreats into a rough street life: A bottle of beer at one gulp, vodka, cocaine, prostitutes, reckless sex. The girl has been missing for weeks or months. He has a newspaper clipping he shows to people, who hurry on, sensing madness. Lodge Kerrigan's "Keane" opens with a man ranging the Port Authority Bus Terminal, looking for his lost daughter.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |