Particles of Truth (2003)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Jennifer Elster

Writer:

Jennifer Elster (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In 48 hours, some fall apart ... some piece themselves together.

Plot:

Life, love, and the fear of failing... Lilli Black, battling her painful memories and the secrets surrounding her dying father...

Cast

Jennifer Elster	...	Lilli Black
Gale Harold	...	Morrison Wiley
Susan Floyd	...	Louise
Larry Pine	...	Mr. Wiley
Leslie Lyles	...	Mrs. Wiley
Mark Margolis	...	Grandpa Black
Richard Wilkinson	...	Will
Elizabeth Van Meter	...	Flora
Alan Samulski	...	Johnny
Michael Laurence	...	Charles
Victoria Rosen	...	Child Lilli
Ray Rosato	...	Timmy
Gregor Manns	...	Jimmy
Tom Southern	...	Reggie
Regina Dreyer-Thomas	...	Grandma Celantano

MPAA:

Rated R for language, drug content, sexuality and some violence.

Runtime:

USA:101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

75 Films

take note: what indie SHOULD be; this is a noteworthy indie film, even now....

when we seem to be inundated with them ("Friends with Money" as a more recent blight).

This film by Jennifer Elster is existential without being superficial, disjointed without being confused, and there are some good character studies, albeit in miniature.

Look for a small cameo with Mark Margolis, classically trained actor ("Scarface", "Hannibal", etc.) He is Lily Black's (Elster's) grandfather. Her father is dying from AIDS, and she has kept up a facade that all was okay in the family.

Eventually, she breaks down. There are a few parallel stories; she has a girlfriend with a psychotic boyfriend, she is interested in Morrison (well portrayed by Gale Harrold) and Larry Pine and Leslie Lyles portray an older couple, disenchanted with various issues. Pine has lost his job, his wife has learned she has breast cancer; they keep these secrets from each other.

I think some of the specific scenes are worth mentioning; Gale Harrold, as Morrison, is a young author who has obsessive compulsive disorder; we see him trying to relate in the outside world. I am wondering how often directors/photographers lift ideas from their rivals. In "Friends with Money" there is a useless scene wherein the audience is subjected to Jennifer Aniston washing her face and staring at herself in the mirror. In this movie, Morrison's character is reacting to his OCD, so the scene makes sense. In the "FWM" scene, there was absolutely no reason to give all that screen time to Aniston, other than sheer narcissism. Audiences DO notice when a character is given needless screen time.

That being said, this film has a good flow, and the acting is genuine. Also, the principals are not overly pampered celebrities, so the indie film reality issue is not destroyed by the actor's tabloid persona. 8/10.