Here’s
a film that jumped out at me when I first perused PC’s filmography; the title
caught my eye. Niceland’s own IMDb page told me virtually nothing, and I didn’t
recognize any of the other actors in it, but my interest was still piqued. Well, I’ve just managed to track it down, and
I’d like to report that this film is a marvelous, bittersweet gem.
Jed
is a young man looking for an anchor.
For reasons far too indie to explain succinctly, he desperately needs to
discover the purpose of life. After
chasing a few false leads, he happens upon Max, a man who lives in a junkyard
and claims to know the answer. Jed begs
to move in, and Max offers to reveal his secret knowledge if Jed will help him
with a problem of his own.
PC
plays John, Jed’s father. A bored
middle-aged worker ant, John is shaken out of his humdrum acquiescence by Jed’s
quest. Slowly, John begins an
exploration of his own. He is by turns
despairing, hopeful, and erratic along the way, and his searching brings him
closer to his son.
This
is a really lovely performance. PC
beautifully plays a man gently sliding into an existential crisis. There’s an excellent scene that shows his
growing awareness of his discontentment, and he has a breakdown later in the
film that’s so much milder and softer than that sort of scene usually is, but
it’s done to great effect.
I
really enjoyed the film. It’s offbeat
and sad, but with just enough embers of hope to keep your spirits up. It reminds me a little of a bleaker Lars and the Real Girl, in that a
handful of lost, lonely people are just trying to muddle through the best they
can.
Accent Watch
Okay,
so the film is written and directed by Icelanders, but the most of the cast
members are British. PC is one of
several to use a Scottish accent.
Recommend?
In
General
– Yes. Be warned that it’s a little
slow, and it’s sad in places, but the story is compelling and the central
performances are wonderful. Really liked
it.
PC-wise – Yes. PC is nicely understated, bringing this
character to life in a quiet, very engaging way.
Warnings
Drinking,
brief swearing, and thematic elements.
No comments:
Post a Comment