IMDb > Limbo (1999)
Limbo
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips
Photos (see all 36 | slideshow) Videos
Limbo (1999) -- Unconventional narrative about the interactions amongst a group of people in a small town in Alaska, each of whom has guards a secret.

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   3,697 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
John Sayles (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Limbo on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 June 1999 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A condition of unknowable outcome more
Plot:
Unconventional narrative about the interactions amongst a group of people in a small town in Alaska, each of whom has guards a secret. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Roman Polanski’s Ghost Now in Limbo
 (From Collider.com. 29 September 2009, 8:59 AM, PDT)

Seattle Honors Top Indies
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 7 June 1999)

User Comments:
Masterful Cinematic Theater more (132 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language.
Runtime:
126 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
Joe: So, how did your stuff end up at his place?
Donna: Unforeseen circumstances.
more
Soundtrack:
Attack of the Mutant Guitars more

FAQ

Did Smiling Jack tell Joe the truth on the Island? (SPOILERS)
more
13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
Masterful Cinematic Theater, 23 November 2000
Author: tedg (tedg@FilmsFolded.com) from Virginia Beach

I don't know all of Sayles work, but I plan to. This film really impressed me.

What I look for is a few things, that if done well will really satisfy. Among them are:

--daring use of the cinematic medium

--transporting me to a conceptual space that I otherwise wouldn't have experienced

--self reference

CINEMATIC: Sayles is a storyteller, who thoroughly understands what it means to build a narrative scaffold using film. This is theater completely recast for the unique strengths of film, and only possible when the same person writes, directs and edits. This camera is literally introduced as a character when noelle offers it an `hoordoov.' The camera participates, the lights participate. We have overlapping dialog, overlapping cuts, multiple views of the same scene. We have long panning multithreaded scenes. We have a dramatic pacing which starts slow, sets a lot of potential threads and convincingly fools you into relying on certain expectations.

Then narrative commitments are made before you are ready, and then come faster and more unexpectedly until the very gutsy end. Sayles knows in real storytelling, there's a game between teller and listener, each trying to outwit the other. A masterful storyteller teases but plays by the rules, allowing the reader to take risks. It takes craft to do this in the written word, and is extremely rare using the more intimate but external and slippery experience of cinema.

TRANSPORTING: Alaskan wilderness as theme park where stories are safely refined for casual visitors. That would be enough given this level of craft. But Sayles takes us into Noelle's diary world. That's the center of this film's world, the world of the mystical Shefox. Deep imagery here -- superficially referenced in the `real' action. I do not expect to ever forget that visit. The self-reference is in both.

Much has been made of the actors, and I think that a mistake since the creative force here is clearly Sayles. But this girl Martinez has some magic. Who will write parts for her?

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (132 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Limbo (1999)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The end of the movie satanislav
M.E.M.'s Singing jcwla
David Strathaim seems depressed Fillumfan
David Strathairn mlatapie-1
The Ending. Spoilers! hannahp1
the LIMBO fanlisting andiweaves
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Snow Falling on Cedars Les invasions barbares Short Cuts Walkabout Let's Scare Jessica to Death
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.