This is a nice little contemplative film about who we become and the challenges that come to define us. It is pretty short and I wish there was a little more to it- it's only about an hour and thirteen minutes of actual movie. The melodrama can be a bit much too, but overall it is an impactful story about how our lives turn out. It is thoughtful and contemplative, with some delicate and moving moments.
19 Reviews
Do you want an action-rich movie? Skip this one.
peterp-450-2987165 March 2020
The thing about getting older is looking back,
it doesn't matter how old you are,
life always feels the same length.
Like both forever and not very long.
You've just seen "Uncut Gems" and you feel the nerves raging through your body after watching this ultra-nervous film? Well, I recommend you to watch the film "Colewell". Believe me. After watching this film, you'll feel completely relaxed again. There are no situations full of agitated behavior. No feverish activity. Everything is calm and peaceful. This cozy and pleasant film progresses at a leisurely pace. Like the gently rippling water in a quiet stream. Just about the pace of someone in old age who performs the same ritual every day and eagerly awaits his well-deserved retirement. Only Nora (Karen Allen) was not yet ready for that well-deserved rest that is now being forced upon her.
Nora is an older lady who runs a local post office in the small village of Colewell, somewhere in Pennsylvania. And trust me on this, when I say you can admire her morning routine several times. A morning where she will check the chicken coop for freshly laid eggs. And every time she checks the state of one of the laying hens because it's upset because of newly added fellow hens and thus refuses to squeeze such a fragile object through her poopybutthole. Then it's time for breakfast (with a firm omelet made with fresh eggs) and a getting dressed ritual before she opens the door of the post office (located at her place) to welcome the villagers. Everything is performed dutifully and meticulously. And I'm sure she did this from day one.
"Colewell" is about aging and the preservation of certain values of life. At the same time, it's also about the fear of losing these certain values. And the rapidly changing world around us. When a decision is made to forget about certain post offices and integrate them into the larger whole, Nora sees those values disappearing like snow in the sun. The day after she's being confronted with this terrible decision at the US Postal Service headquarters, she sinks into an emotional pit and consciously skips her daily rituals. As if it all no longer matters. The choices that were proposed to her are both not adequate solutions for her. Relocating to a larger city to work there at the post office. Or retire. Both are alternatives that Nora disregards.
The post office in Colewell has an additional function. It's the meeting place for the local population. There's gossiping, stockings are knitted, food is exchanged and life stories shared. In short, it's the heart of a community. And the members of this community are heartbroken when they are told that their beloved assembly point is about to disappear. Initiatives are being taken to turn the tide and efforts are being made to safeguard Nora's workplace. But as soon as they realize that this is a futile effort, everyone accepts the situation and the social contacts move to other locations. To the dismay of Nora.
"Colewell" is endearing, serene and melancholic at the same time. A subdued drama about how it feels to grow older and then suddenly realize that your functional role has been played out and two arrogant younger people say this without hesitation in your face. Or you'll be flexible or you pack it up and make room for the future generation. A realistic character study, without frills. But not entirely. The moment Ella (Hannah Gross) shows up at Nora's place, realism turns into vagueness. It's not really clear whether this is Nora's free-spirited daughter or a figment of Nora's imagination representing the younger Nora. Anyway. Do you like action-rich movies that are nervewracking exciting? Well, I suggest skipping this one. The easy-going nature of the film may well get on your nerves.
More reviews here: movie-freak.be
You've just seen "Uncut Gems" and you feel the nerves raging through your body after watching this ultra-nervous film? Well, I recommend you to watch the film "Colewell". Believe me. After watching this film, you'll feel completely relaxed again. There are no situations full of agitated behavior. No feverish activity. Everything is calm and peaceful. This cozy and pleasant film progresses at a leisurely pace. Like the gently rippling water in a quiet stream. Just about the pace of someone in old age who performs the same ritual every day and eagerly awaits his well-deserved retirement. Only Nora (Karen Allen) was not yet ready for that well-deserved rest that is now being forced upon her.
Nora is an older lady who runs a local post office in the small village of Colewell, somewhere in Pennsylvania. And trust me on this, when I say you can admire her morning routine several times. A morning where she will check the chicken coop for freshly laid eggs. And every time she checks the state of one of the laying hens because it's upset because of newly added fellow hens and thus refuses to squeeze such a fragile object through her poopybutthole. Then it's time for breakfast (with a firm omelet made with fresh eggs) and a getting dressed ritual before she opens the door of the post office (located at her place) to welcome the villagers. Everything is performed dutifully and meticulously. And I'm sure she did this from day one.
"Colewell" is about aging and the preservation of certain values of life. At the same time, it's also about the fear of losing these certain values. And the rapidly changing world around us. When a decision is made to forget about certain post offices and integrate them into the larger whole, Nora sees those values disappearing like snow in the sun. The day after she's being confronted with this terrible decision at the US Postal Service headquarters, she sinks into an emotional pit and consciously skips her daily rituals. As if it all no longer matters. The choices that were proposed to her are both not adequate solutions for her. Relocating to a larger city to work there at the post office. Or retire. Both are alternatives that Nora disregards.
The post office in Colewell has an additional function. It's the meeting place for the local population. There's gossiping, stockings are knitted, food is exchanged and life stories shared. In short, it's the heart of a community. And the members of this community are heartbroken when they are told that their beloved assembly point is about to disappear. Initiatives are being taken to turn the tide and efforts are being made to safeguard Nora's workplace. But as soon as they realize that this is a futile effort, everyone accepts the situation and the social contacts move to other locations. To the dismay of Nora.
"Colewell" is endearing, serene and melancholic at the same time. A subdued drama about how it feels to grow older and then suddenly realize that your functional role has been played out and two arrogant younger people say this without hesitation in your face. Or you'll be flexible or you pack it up and make room for the future generation. A realistic character study, without frills. But not entirely. The moment Ella (Hannah Gross) shows up at Nora's place, realism turns into vagueness. It's not really clear whether this is Nora's free-spirited daughter or a figment of Nora's imagination representing the younger Nora. Anyway. Do you like action-rich movies that are nervewracking exciting? Well, I suggest skipping this one. The easy-going nature of the film may well get on your nerves.
More reviews here: movie-freak.be
Watch it again
cme-6486919 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Yeah, it was kinda slow.
BUT... watch it again, this time with the knowledge that Ella+Nora=Eleanor. That's Nora's full name. Nora and Ella are the same person.
Remember the Andy+Nora written into the rock, the truck driver Ella rode with-his name was Andy (he worked at the quarry and they show Ella going there), they have the same backpack, and LOOK at everything about them-they are the same person.
Kind of makes it even more sad because she obviously lost Andy somehow after finally deciding to let someone into her life.
BUT... watch it again, this time with the knowledge that Ella+Nora=Eleanor. That's Nora's full name. Nora and Ella are the same person.
Remember the Andy+Nora written into the rock, the truck driver Ella rode with-his name was Andy (he worked at the quarry and they show Ella going there), they have the same backpack, and LOOK at everything about them-they are the same person.
Kind of makes it even more sad because she obviously lost Andy somehow after finally deciding to let someone into her life.
Slow in a good way
glen-24827 June 2022
Enigmatic
miller-9025 July 2023
I feel that there is a lot more to this film than at first meets the eye, but I can't tell what it is. The character of 20-something Ella is never explained. She wanders in without knocking. She wanders on up the road without saying goodbye. She is not Nora's daughter. Who or what she is is never explained nor is why she is in the movie at all. Does she represent Nora of 40 years ago (she does resemble Nora, and Nora comments that she, like Ella, loved hitchhiking as a young woman)? Does she exist only in Nora's imagination? If I understood the answers to these questions, I'd appreciate the film, but the writers, director, and editor just wouldn't give me a clue.
As it is, I still give the movie 6 stars JUST because Karen Allen is in it. She's not exactly a glamorous movie star, but she's the quintessential girl next door. She's not exactly the girl you'd want to take to a party, but she's definitely the one you'd want to leave with. I'll watch anything she's in.
As it is, I still give the movie 6 stars JUST because Karen Allen is in it. She's not exactly a glamorous movie star, but she's the quintessential girl next door. She's not exactly the girl you'd want to take to a party, but she's definitely the one you'd want to leave with. I'll watch anything she's in.
What? Where? How?
bobbooker4 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I hate this movie so much. Because I wanted to like it. As tired as anybody of CGI and explosions, this looked like a pleasant diversion. I think it's great when someone can go to an older actor like Karen Allen and say, "How'd you like to make a movie where you can really ACT, with no green screen in site?". And she's really good. The telling of the story stinks. Is the post office in her house? We see her kitchen, her bedroom, the layout of her house, with never any kind of establishing shot of how the heck the post office fits in. She is out on a farm, not on main street, so how is this a gathering place for the small town? Do people drive there? We never see cars or a parking area. And it's a real stretch to believe that the locals hang around there. In small towns, people actually hang out at the cafe. Tables, chairs, coffee and a TV or radio for background. Next, who is the girl? You think maybe her daughter, but then they tell you she's not. But, she comes without knocking and goes without explanation. She's apparently homeless, but makes a phone call and suddenly has a nice cabin by the river where she can pull a Thoreau and sit around and contemplate. Maybe she's not even real, some allegory for a young Nora. But, she's physically in the movie, so, no. Also, the whole Postal Service as Villain angle is forced, with some spectacularly bad acting in the town hall scene. How bad would you feel if you hit 65 and your employer said, "We're eliminating your job, but you'll get $2500 a month for the rest of your life."? Finally, at the last scene, somebody makes coffee for the 25th time in this movie, and we look at an empty kitchen for 30 seconds or so. How about an overhead shot of Nora walking out to feed her animals that pulls back as the music swells and life goes on? Nope. We get something reminiscent of Jack Webb without narration. Sad and bad.
An empathetic slice of cinema
michaelcjohnson-8871521 December 2019
It brought tears to my eyes. It's firing on all cylinders and all facets of the cinematic process. There's such confidence in this work. Such pinpoint concentration without feeling cold whatsoever. It's grownup stuff. Not in terms of audience, but in terms of craft. It just feels authoritative. The voice is consistent. The world is lush. There's just so much to love. Allen and Gross are so perfectly cast in terms of performance and physicality. They're cinematic doppelgangers of the Bergman variety. We need films like this now more than ever.
Sad and Depressing, but Honest
mariuchka1 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
What year was it? Why didn't she have a TV or a radio or a car? She was poor but she could afford something to ease her loneliness. This is a sad movie about an old lady who is forced to retire as a rural postal service person who has her post office in her own home, which is a gathering place for the town. Everyone is upset when they have to close the post office down to have post boxes installed but yet when Nora has to retire nobody seems to come around and console her. Why aren't they there after she's retired. A small country town being upgraded is painful to watch. Then they bring in this young hitchhiking girl out of nowhere who was a very similar lost person like Nora (postal worker) was but they never really connect except for a few hours. I didn't get why she was in the movie at all. All I know, I thought this was a sad movie (being an older than the postal woman in it and having being pushed out my job as I got older, I can relate). If you like sad slow movies you'll like this. It was nicely done albeit bleak and Karen Allen's (Nora) acting was really good. I like her a lot but I really did not care for her part in it. It was too depressing. It seems they do not make happy movies today; could it be the world is just an unhappy place. Then again it is what we make it. Try the movie you might like it. Being old and retired doesn't need to be sad. Losing a lifetime heartfelt job is sad.
A beautiful film
dquinn-535677 January 2020
A lovely, quiet look at rural America and how Community is built. In this age of "Won't You Be My Neighbor?", Colewell delivers and shows us Neighborhood and the simple joys in everyday interactions at the local Post Office located in the home of Allen's character, Nora. The film asks and examines what happens when that local hub is threatened. It allows the viewer to watch as Nora struggles with the changes that are proposed as she examines how she came to be where she is today. Karen Allen gives an outstanding and honest performance.
Sorry, but what???
tocanepauli7 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Slice of life film that goes........ nowhere! I know this might be a portrait of a beautiful part of the U.S but to others of us this film is just slow and boring! If it had an ending it might have been sufferable, but by just leaving us " hanging" just makes the time invested in this film seem somehow worthless. Sorry.
Profoundly disappointing.
nancyzerntrout27 May 2022
1.) Karen Allen was phenomenal.
2.) I'm really mad. Yes, the movie is short, but still, I'll never get this time back. In a world full of stupid endings, this stupid ending has to be the stupidest of all time.
I've looked at the other reviews. "Beautiful." "Lovely little film." "Honest." "Contemplative." Oh, c'mon. Stop trying to look smarter or more empathetic than the rest of us. I don't like seeing communities change for the worse any more than the next guy, but everyone KNOWS this film makes almost no sense.
2.) I'm really mad. Yes, the movie is short, but still, I'll never get this time back. In a world full of stupid endings, this stupid ending has to be the stupidest of all time.
I've looked at the other reviews. "Beautiful." "Lovely little film." "Honest." "Contemplative." Oh, c'mon. Stop trying to look smarter or more empathetic than the rest of us. I don't like seeing communities change for the worse any more than the next guy, but everyone KNOWS this film makes almost no sense.
Underrated
juliawgriffin23 December 2019
Molasses flowing uphill!
qui_j28 May 2022
If you like to watch movies with minimal dialog, most of which seems to be improvised, people staring at one another for hours, saying nothing, and which moves at the pace of molasses flowing uphill, then this is the movie for you. Nothing happens! The movie just drags on and on until it wears you down and you eventually have to throw in the towel! Indie movies can be good, this unfortunately is not one of them!
What a find!
Chicago_Distrib_Center_Worker13 December 2019
This movie is good as a sleeping pill
major-2517428 May 2022
I wasted 78 minutes waiting for something to happen and nothing happens. It takes about an hour for them to show the lead losing her job. After that nothing really happens. Don't waste your time. I am not a big action/thriller film guy but this is ridiculous. How anybody could watch this and and say it was good as in the reviews is beyond me.
Horrible
spacecadet-686783 September 2020
Karen Allen SOARS!
onelonedolphin-3838926 August 2020
Provocative depiction of reality in USA. Our Postal Service is a lifeline in rural America. Our Post Offices are more than just a building full of mailboxes, they're run by our neighbors & friends in small towns across the USA. Louis DeJoy is a conman running our RELIABLE mail service into bankruptcy. Creating unnecessary, complicated delays for the men & women we respect for delivering our shipments+correspondence at 40° below zero, during blizzards, storms, & disasters like Covid. "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds", is the USPS motto. My feedback is: writers leave viewers confused about who 'Ella' is. Combined with editing it's difficult to tell if Karen's character is flashing back to her youth or if Ella is her daughter.
Very slow
jleeharris-369916 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
If you want to see a movie about a camera following some around living their life, this is for you. The theme is interesting and the acting excellent, but its just a movie about someone living life, sleeping, dressing, making coffee, eating dinner and working in a small post office, mostly boring at times.
A sad and pathetic story about America
Bad-Good-Great14 December 2019
A wonderful movie about another part of the American infrastructure faded into the sunset; the USPS totally bankrupted service to the people, not just we saw in this movie, the rural America but same to the urban cities. A service so traditionally trustworthy and to be rely and dependable by the Americans who have been taken granted of its service, now simply falling apart gradually and the deterioration speed is not what you could imagine, fast and deadly.
Telling the woman who has been serving Colewell since 1970 to either considering retirement or relocate to Delany, a bigger city about couple of hours away from Colewell, these two USPS administrative guys said that's the decision she should consider. But we all know that this is a strategy of Mercy Killing, to force an older employee to relocate to a far away from home job would finally force her to quit. But we all know, it's a Mercy Killing, because we know the city of Delany would be on their next batch of closing list. Force relocation sounds merciful enough, but it's actually a part of the Domino strategy, it'll keep falling one after another, the people who are so naive to believe the relocation arrangement, would end up in a rootless situation, a helpless fool.
Still remember the "CHANGE" slogan 10 years ago? Just tell me, what s been changed so far? Now the new campaign slogan is "MAGA". Are you guys always that stupid and naive? Been fooled once is okay, but twice?
Telling the woman who has been serving Colewell since 1970 to either considering retirement or relocate to Delany, a bigger city about couple of hours away from Colewell, these two USPS administrative guys said that's the decision she should consider. But we all know that this is a strategy of Mercy Killing, to force an older employee to relocate to a far away from home job would finally force her to quit. But we all know, it's a Mercy Killing, because we know the city of Delany would be on their next batch of closing list. Force relocation sounds merciful enough, but it's actually a part of the Domino strategy, it'll keep falling one after another, the people who are so naive to believe the relocation arrangement, would end up in a rootless situation, a helpless fool.
Still remember the "CHANGE" slogan 10 years ago? Just tell me, what s been changed so far? Now the new campaign slogan is "MAGA". Are you guys always that stupid and naive? Been fooled once is okay, but twice?
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