This one had me in tears just minutes in, in the first of nine mostly separate stories, its prison location spelling out a theme of feeling trapped that will run throughout much of the movie. This movie is filled with great actresses and they all outdo themselves conveying extraordinarily complex emotions.

It could certainly be a lot lighter – the final segment features a mother and daughter (Glenn Close and Dakota Fanning – yes you have to wait the whole movie to see her! lol, her role is once again more prominent than expected, though) and though its mood is mostly jovial considering it takes place in a graveyard, it ends with a hint about Fanning’s character that haunts me long after the end credits have finished rolling.

Each of the nine segments is a Robert Altman / Paul Thomas Anderson-ish single take of film – yes, it’s a very artsy fartsy deal. But if you like to see great acting, especially from women (Jason Isaacs, Ian McShane, Stephen Dillane and Joe Mantegna are all great too, though), this is the movie to be at.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 7th, 2006 at 6:46 pm in 4 hearts, Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.