The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)

Director:

Rebecca Miller

Writer (WGA):

Rebecca Miller (written by)

Release Date:

2 June 2005 (Israel)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A father and daughter isolated on an island off the East Coast and living on a once thriving commune grapple with the limits of family and sexuality.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Commune | Environmentalism | Time Lapse Photography | Strafford Vermont

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Camilla Belle	...	Rose Slavin
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	Jack Slavin
Catherine Keener	...	Kathleen
Ryan McDonald	...	Rodney (as Ryan Mcdonald)
Paul Dano	...	Thaddius
Jason Lee	...	Gray
Jena Malone	...	Red Berry
Beau Bridges	...	Marty Rance
Susanna Thompson	...	Miriam Rance

Also Known As:

Rose and the Snake (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual content and some drug material.

Runtime:

USA:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Ireland:16 (theatrical rating) | UK:15 | Brazil:14 | Mexico:C | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Hungary:16 | Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Company:

IFC Productions

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Although this movie takes place in the United States, when jack and rose go to the main land a Canadian Tire store is visible from their car.

Quotes:

Jack Slavin: I swear, I solemnly believe that humanity is now officially descending a ladder of evolution. In a thousand years, human beings will be the size of gerbils, and they'll have one thought a year, in December. They'll think about what they want for Christmas.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Teens (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Shooting Star

A marvelous piece of acting

My pick for male Oscar winner so far this year is Daniel Day-Lewis as an eccentric father of a precocious girl in The Ballad of Jack and Rose.

I don't think the bard suggested incest on the menu for Prospero and Miranda, but in this ballad dad and daughter alone on a remote peninsula off the East coast are not fighting just real estate developers and dad's lovers, they are dealing with incestuous feelings so subtly relayed that even our delicately Christian president might not be offended.

I have five beautiful daughters in the healthiest of relationships, but that a man alone with a bright, loving, free-spirited daughter could go to the dark side is the genius of this parable about the difficulties of living outside societal norms, which sometimes are fortunately restrictive of baser instincts.

Day-Lewis's conflicted protagonist is a marvelous piece of acting, the best of his career, and the most interesting this year.