Could Arkansas-born, Texas-bred (and now-storied writer/director of southern movies such as George Washington and Undertow) David Gordon Green actually be a closeted cold-climate guy? Watching SNOW ANGELS, his best film yet (I haven't yet seen his work-for-hire Pineapple Express) makes we wonder. Such a moment-to-moment example of emotionally-truthful moviemaking that rarely takes a false step (when it does this is more a matter of camera-placement than anything else) belies both the tiring longeurs of Geo. Wash. and the heavy melodramatics (fun as they sometimes are) of Undertow.
His most accomplished movie in every respect, this Nova Scotia-filmed, northern-set story of small town life and several families whose lives entwine, Snow Angels handles tragedy, romance and quiet humor with a depth and profundity I would not have imagined possible. Green gets tip-top work from his cast: Kate Beckinsale is better than I have ever seen her, Sam Rockwell is his usual sterling self, and Amy Sedaris, Michael Angarano, Olivia Thirlby, Griffin Dunne, Tom Noonan and the rest are close to letter perfect. Green has adapted his film from a novel by Stewart O'Nan (unread by me) and he manages to balance the inevitable tragedy with an equal dose of hope -- without making either seem the least unrealistic. I have rarely felt, watching a movie, as close to and understanding of characters whose behavior I would not countenance.
My quibbles, and they are just that, involve camera work -- or maybe editing. One instance: There is a scene of a wonderful kiss in a high school hallway in which the camera is suddenly pulled back and the mood poorly broken. But within seconds the movie recovers and you're back on track. Mr. Green has given us a story and characters that, in other hands, could easily lose their credibility or topple into camp. That this does not happen -- does not even threaten to happen -- marks Green as a filmmaker who is growing by leaps and bounds. "Pineapple," here I come.
No comments:
Post a Comment