Some people in these reviews seem to think this film owes a responsibility somehow to treating and portraying Paul fairly and in a more understanding way, as if it were some sort of exercise in human relations advice rather than a story and a film about particular people with their own unique personalities. Nic doesn't need to have to answer to us for how she treats Paul, and the film doesn't owe us that either. Since when did art become a moral arbiter of fairness? These are the things we deal with in real day to day life as we feel we should. A movie has no place taking that responsibility and setting the record straight on our human problems and conflicts just so it can make us feel better about the state of things. I found the movie and the storyline compelling and told with great humanity, humor and honesty. I don't know much at all about lesbian or same sex couples, but I know this film made me feel like I got to be let into that area of life for a few hours. By looking through the lens of social politics you will only see a distorted version of what this film does so beautifully, which is portraying the human condition of a particular group of people with understanding and heart.
Reviews
3 Reviews
The Giving Tree
(2000)
Unique emotional ride
3 June 2018
An overlooked and important movie that packs a real punch and mixes the everyday, whimsical and absurd with life's traumas. Some of the scenes are difficult to watch because of the violence and nature of the subject matter but that's just one aspect of the story which covers a lot of territory. Things come around in the end in a way that is both satisfying and believable. I was perplexed by some reviews I've seen of this film that pan it for bad acting, bad script and such. There isn't a false note in this whole film for me. The emotional intensity of it required a lot of the actors and it seemed to me they really came through for that. I honestly wasn't expecting much before I watched this because of the way it was packaged as typical low budget young adult entertainment. It's more than that. Glad I watched it.
A Room with a View
(2007 TV Movie)
Really Enjoyable, but skip the ending
27 April 2018
I've rarely watched a movie that has had such a negative effect on my enjoyment of it in the last five minutes as this one did. Everything else about this was an absolute delight to me. I thought Lucy and George were cast perfectly and the actors played them with beautiful subtlety of emotion. The scenes of Italy were visually gorgeous. Thoroughly enjoyable until an utterly stupefying ending that was as unnecessary as it was nonsensical. You could literally cut out the last five minutes or so of the movie after the two lovers have gone to sleep in their hotel room and everything makes intuitive and emotional sense. For me It achieved with natural grace what too many movies only contrive to, yet instead of fading to the credits they tack on an ill fitting ending scenario that wearily negates everything that has happened in a way that is neither believable or logical. Did they change directors at the last minute? Was he just having a bad day on that shoot? I guess I'll never know. Perhaps a recut? It would be an easy one to do; snip off a little bit at the end from an otherwise great film and re-release it the way it should be.
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