Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by TopPop (A) on June 14, 2006 at 01:18:15

I must say, a good couple of hours that I just spent…

Elijah Wood plays a young man (Jonathan Safran Foer), a collector of sorts; a collector of family things, to be specific. This film, adapted from the book of the same name (written by Foer), follows Foer on his "very rigid search" to find an unknown woman who was somehow connected to his deceased grandfather. Foer learns much about his life, his family, his past, and his relations with others as the story flows.

Initially, this seemed to be a film stylized much in the flavor of “Amelie”, filled with heartwarming humor about daily interactions with others. However, as the film progresses, it takes on a darker, more serious tone. The film relies much on visual communication, and less on actual dialogue, using color, angles, and perspective to grab the viewer’s attention. Wood does a good job of ‘staying out of the way’, so to speak, which is to say that he is present, but seems to serve more as a silent narrator, allowing the viewer to understand the story through his eyes, without concentrating on (or being distracted by) his acting.

I especially got a kick out of Foer's translator, Alex, who hasn't quite achieved mastery of the English language. His awkward rendering of the language, along with other characters like his 'blind' grandfather, and his grandfather's seeing eye 'bitch', keep the film moving at a fairly light-hearted pace.

Recommended. Also, do watch the deleted scenes, as they are enjoyable and humorous. It is clear why they were deleted, however, since their addition would inevitably change the tone of the movie. I can’t quite tell if I would have liked to have them in, but they are, nevertheless, satisfying to watch.

Cheers,
Chris


"Music is God's gift to man, the only art of Heaven given to earth, the only art of earth we take to Heaven."
-Walter Savage Landor