I saw this film last night. It's the story of a family who has been suffering for 23 years since the tragic death of a 7-year-old son (brother). There is wonderful chemistry between Frank Redmond (Peter Mullan) and his adult son Rob (James Sives), and the undercurrent, so to speak, between them is relayed to the viewer beautifully. To me the most poignant scene in the movie was where these two characters meet on a bridge, walking in opposite directions. Frank asks his son if he has time for a cup of coffee, and Rob says he does not, and they continue past each other. We then see his son sitting in a café alone drinking a cup of coffee. It's such a subtle exchange, but it portrays perfectly the depth of their ambivalence toward each other. They simply can't think of anything to say, good or bad.
Billy Boyd's character seems written just for him, and the scene with his mother is great. Brenda Blethen as always is fabulous, as the doting, "glue-that-holds-the-family-together" mom with a secret that shows she's not the doormat you may imagine.
This movie is about relationships, what tears them down and what finally fixes them, and as such there is almost bound to be a slow spot or two, just like there are in real relationships. I'm not sure what could have been done to fix this - all the scenes were necessary, with the exception of the puking scene, which I always dislike and find utterly expendable.
Overall it was a good film, and there's the bonus of getting to see a lot of Peter Mullan, not in the acting sense, just in the "seeing a lot of him" sense, which isn't a bad thing. :o)
Billy Boyd's character seems written just for him, and the scene with his mother is great. Brenda Blethen as always is fabulous, as the doting, "glue-that-holds-the-family-together" mom with a secret that shows she's not the doormat you may imagine.
This movie is about relationships, what tears them down and what finally fixes them, and as such there is almost bound to be a slow spot or two, just like there are in real relationships. I'm not sure what could have been done to fix this - all the scenes were necessary, with the exception of the puking scene, which I always dislike and find utterly expendable.
Overall it was a good film, and there's the bonus of getting to see a lot of Peter Mullan, not in the acting sense, just in the "seeing a lot of him" sense, which isn't a bad thing. :o)