I actually rather enjoyed Faraway Eyes. It's got an interesting premise, and it manages pretty well on a clearly low budget. The acting from the two leads is good, and Christina Ricci is suitably 'otherworldly' in her limited role.
One scene that I felt stood out was when the lead character is in his apartment with his family, as they remove his belongings and deal with their loss. The feelings of the mother and father felt genuine and heartfelt.
Often Hollywood destroys good material by filtering it through a committee, but in this case I can't help but think a little more refinement and polish would have helped soften those rough edges.
Harry Greenberger has to be applauded for both writing and directing, but I felt the script sorely needed a little more softening, and the directorial style and cinematography needed to veer a bit further away from the stereotypical look that's over used these days (lots of handheld, desaturated colours, etc). It's an attempt to give it a more 'realistic' or even 'gritty' feel, but it wasn't overly suited to this film, and sometimes it also comes over as a bit too 'made for TV'.
The soundtrack likewise feels out-of-place. It tries to be more trendy/arty and instead merely serves to take you out of the story.
I can see where Harry Greenberger was going, to make it less like a typical Hollywood romance, but there's a reason the best romances have a lighter, softer touch. The subject matter works best with that. It needed to pull back on the cruder lines, make the lead a little more sympathetic and interesting (and perhaps less obnoxious in places), and use a softer, more heartfelt soundtrack.
Having said all that, in most respects this is still a great little low budget film. The main premise does have some issues, particularly around how such an afterlife would function (which the writing at least acknowledges at the beginning, with a few questions by the lead, even though they aren't answered), but if you can get past them, it's certainly a thoughtful little diversion, and it doesn't avoid what many will perceive as a 'Hollywood' ending. Without that, it would've felt hollow and pointless. All-too-often, writers think they're being clever by avoiding a 'Hollywood' ending, and instead end up with something that has become every bit as cliched, but simply less satisfying. In this case, at least you don't feel robbed of the necessary resolution.
One scene that I felt stood out was when the lead character is in his apartment with his family, as they remove his belongings and deal with their loss. The feelings of the mother and father felt genuine and heartfelt.
Often Hollywood destroys good material by filtering it through a committee, but in this case I can't help but think a little more refinement and polish would have helped soften those rough edges.
Harry Greenberger has to be applauded for both writing and directing, but I felt the script sorely needed a little more softening, and the directorial style and cinematography needed to veer a bit further away from the stereotypical look that's over used these days (lots of handheld, desaturated colours, etc). It's an attempt to give it a more 'realistic' or even 'gritty' feel, but it wasn't overly suited to this film, and sometimes it also comes over as a bit too 'made for TV'.
The soundtrack likewise feels out-of-place. It tries to be more trendy/arty and instead merely serves to take you out of the story.
I can see where Harry Greenberger was going, to make it less like a typical Hollywood romance, but there's a reason the best romances have a lighter, softer touch. The subject matter works best with that. It needed to pull back on the cruder lines, make the lead a little more sympathetic and interesting (and perhaps less obnoxious in places), and use a softer, more heartfelt soundtrack.
Having said all that, in most respects this is still a great little low budget film. The main premise does have some issues, particularly around how such an afterlife would function (which the writing at least acknowledges at the beginning, with a few questions by the lead, even though they aren't answered), but if you can get past them, it's certainly a thoughtful little diversion, and it doesn't avoid what many will perceive as a 'Hollywood' ending. Without that, it would've felt hollow and pointless. All-too-often, writers think they're being clever by avoiding a 'Hollywood' ending, and instead end up with something that has become every bit as cliched, but simply less satisfying. In this case, at least you don't feel robbed of the necessary resolution.