Tideland (2005)

Because of the actions of her irresponsible parents, a young girl is left alone on a decrepit country estate and survives inside her fantastic imagination.

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writers:

Tony Grisoni (screenplay), Terry Gilliam (screenplay),

Stars:

Jodelle Ferland, Janet McTeer, Jennifer Tilly

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jodelle Ferland	...	Jeliza-Rose / Voices of Sateen Lips, Glitter Gal, Mustique and Baby Blonde
Janet McTeer	...	Dell
Brendan Fletcher	...	Dickens
Jennifer Tilly	...	Queen Gunhilda
Jeff Bridges	...	Noah
Dylan Taylor	...	Patrick
Wendy Anderson	...	Woman / Squirrel's Voice
Sally Crooks	...	Dell's Mother

Storyline

Pre-teen Jeliza-Rose's parents are hopeless drug addicts. When pa, rocker Noah, finds ma OD's, he fears to be charged of homicide and takes her along to his ma's place, in a desolate country region. With Noah passed out, the girl mentally transfers to a fantasy worlds she and her doll heads enter magically. In its adventures she also stars the crazy locals, notably Dell, her domineering hag ma and adult, but retarded brother Dickens.

---

Plot Keywords:

girl | doll's head | drug addict | doll | fear | 

---

Taglines:

The squirrels made it seem less lonely

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bizarre and disturbing content, including drug use, sexuality, and gruesome situations - all involving a child, and for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] Recorded Picture Company

Country:

UK Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Tierra de pesadillas

Filming Locations:

Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$19,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$7,276 (USA) (13 October 2006)

Gross:

$61,238 (USA) (3 November 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), HanWay Films, Téléfilm Canada

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The book that Noah shows Jeliza-Rose after his first "vacation", shows a picture of Tollundmanden, a bog man found in East Jutland in 1950.

---

Quotes

Dickens: He's spoiling.

---

Connections

Referenced in Getting Gilliam (2005)

---

Soundtracks

"Number One"
Performed by Dekko
Written by P. Brown, R. Castiglione, C. Constantinou, B. Reed and J. Stapley
Produced by Peter Brown and Eddie Kramer for Remark Music Ltd
Engineered by Eddie Kramer for Remark Music Ltd
Published by Notting Hill Music Inc (BMI)
(c) Notting Hill Music (UK) Ltd 2004

User Reviews

touch of Gilliam

Bizarre. Fantasmagorical. Frightening. A story-book nightmare.

Who else but Gilliam would give us a view of the inside of "The Dude's" ribcage?(Well, maybe Lynch)

In Tideland we approach to the edge of what is acceptable to the average film-goer but I kept wishing we would go over the edge and see what's there. Others in the audience claimed they wanted to escape to the lobby. It leaves most viewers uneasy, as if the film is an unpleasant taste to be rinsed from the mouth.

Whether or not you like it relies on the individual but what cannot be denied is that the film floats on the performance of Jodelle Ferland who plays 8 year old Jeliza-Rose as a modern day Alice though Tideland seems a far more frightening place than Wonderland. With the aid of her finger-puppet dolls' heads Ferland essentially inhabits 5 different roles withing the film. Easily one of the creepiest but most interesting performance by a child in years.

Good film? Bad? This hard-to-digest film seems to remain outside of such judgments. Best to see it for yourself. One thing is guaranteed: it's an unsettling journey into the realms of the weird.