2025 * PG-13 * 1h 42m This is simply one of the most beautiful films I've had the pleasure to see this year. If it doesn't win several Oscars this year, I'll be very disappointed. But come awards season, I usually am. It's a beautiful film based on the best-selling novella of the same title by Denis Johnson. The young award-winning Director Clint Bentley ("Sing Sing" "Jockey") has crafted an absolutely gorgeous movie.
There isn't a lot of action in this carefully paced movie. It focuses on the life of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker in the early years of the last century. Most of the film takes place in the Pacific Northwest. We see Robert, a quiet, introspective man as he observes his fellow workers as they open up the Northwest Territory. He's a bit reluctant to interact with them and listens to their stories. He eventually meets and then marries his sweetheart Gladys (Felicity Jones). They live in a log cabin that Robert built and soon have a little girl. In short their life is nothing short of idyllic.
Then tragedy hits. While he's at work, a ferocious forest fire destroys their house in the woods. There's absolutely no trace of his wife and daughter. His tireless searching proves futile and he eventually is forced to move on. The story is told through a third-person narrator (Will Patton), and it unfolds like a beautiful love poem. His voice adds a nice folksy touch to the movie. The cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. Adolpho Veloso does a brilliant job capturing the spectacular beauty of the region. And the score by Bryce Dessner adds to the haunting charm of the film.
If you're looking for a quiet retreat from the craziness of today's world, spending a couple hours watching this wonderful movie should do the trick.
Five out of five stars
Currently streaming on Netflix.
No comments:
Post a Comment