11 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :- A beautiful vision of how chance encounters can have unexpected consequences, 10 December 2006
Author:
jalawa-2 from United States
Jay Anania's new film, "Day on Fire," is a haunting story about a
Palestinian journalist and a Jewish model who meet by accident in New
York, and whose lives become inextricably, and shockingly, intertwined.
The remarkable cast is led by the always-excellent Martin Donovan,
playing an enigmatic man, handsome, solitary, and fastidious, who's on
a kind of quest through the streets of the city that will bring him
into contact with one of these women, in a way one could never predict.
Carmen Chaplin (granddaughter of that other Chaplin), gives an
exquisite performance of a woman who is carrying on her shoulders a
personal grief, as well as the weight of her people's struggles, as she
pursues her own search for understanding. And Alyssa Sutherland, an
actress I hadn't seen before, plays the model with great dignity and
unusual intelligence. The struggles that are playing out on the other
side of the world are reflected here, both in the sadness that darkens
their lives, and in the hope their shared emotions gives rise to. A
lovely performance by Olympia Dukakis, and a cameo by the wonderful
Richard Bright (The Godfather, among many others), playing a homeless
man, and filmed shortly before his untimely death, are worth the price
of admission. A gorgeous series of duets by the singer Judy Kuhn and
the pianist John Medeski provide a kind of poetic counterpoint to the
main story. The cinematography, by Kathryn Westergaard, shooting in
hi-definition video, is beautiful, unsurprising for this filmmaker who
always makes us look at the world through fresh eyes. A movie to see
again and again.
5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- Left only with 'Why?', 2 January 2008
Author:
hmd-rami from Canada
It blows me away that such good directing and editing work were put
into a story that lacks the basics of what it takes to achieve what it
aims for.
So many characters that occupied significant parts of the film had
virtually NOTHING to add to the story, and the causes that supposedly
drive the plot were either badly overblown or completely unrelated. The
level of disconnectedness actually puts to question the otherwise fine
acting of almost everyone in 'Day On Fire'.
Come to think of it, I had another issue with this film...why is it
called 'Day on Fire'? Even on a symbolic level, nothing really was on
fire!
In short, nothing is connected and nothing is clear in this
film...hence your left with asking yourself the question...'Why?'
3 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :- waiting for nothing, 21 October 2007
Author:
bas kuiper from Netherlands
Don't expect a good film, because it isn't. It's like the series big
brother, constantly focusing on daily life. While I was waiting for
something meaningful to happen, something to finally draw me into the
film and enjoy it. But this moment never came. The throwing around with
filmed hints and details of the main figures just gets boring. Why?
Because you never get to connect with these people. The music is quite
nice, but nothing is really developing in the film itself. You just see
and hear fragments of the life of the main characters that happened
before. And then in the end, there is a sick twist. The film promises a
portrait of ordinary people under extreme circumstances. But actually
it's a boring film about a bunch of extremely sad characters in
everyday situations. Except for the end, that is. Nothing in it for me.
All in all: it's just a film about time passing by, accented by small
or big events until it's time to die. A waste of my time it was.
Own the rights?
Buy it at Amazon Rent it at blockbuster.comDiscuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsIMDb user comments for
Day on Fire (2006) More at IMDbPro »
11 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-

A beautiful vision of how chance encounters can have unexpected consequences, 10 December 2006
Author: jalawa-2 from United States
Jay Anania's new film, "Day on Fire," is a haunting story about a Palestinian journalist and a Jewish model who meet by accident in New York, and whose lives become inextricably, and shockingly, intertwined. The remarkable cast is led by the always-excellent Martin Donovan, playing an enigmatic man, handsome, solitary, and fastidious, who's on a kind of quest through the streets of the city that will bring him into contact with one of these women, in a way one could never predict. Carmen Chaplin (granddaughter of that other Chaplin), gives an exquisite performance of a woman who is carrying on her shoulders a personal grief, as well as the weight of her people's struggles, as she pursues her own search for understanding. And Alyssa Sutherland, an actress I hadn't seen before, plays the model with great dignity and unusual intelligence. The struggles that are playing out on the other side of the world are reflected here, both in the sadness that darkens their lives, and in the hope their shared emotions gives rise to. A lovely performance by Olympia Dukakis, and a cameo by the wonderful Richard Bright (The Godfather, among many others), playing a homeless man, and filmed shortly before his untimely death, are worth the price of admission. A gorgeous series of duets by the singer Judy Kuhn and the pianist John Medeski provide a kind of poetic counterpoint to the main story. The cinematography, by Kathryn Westergaard, shooting in hi-definition video, is beautiful, unsurprising for this filmmaker who always makes us look at the world through fresh eyes. A movie to see again and again.
5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-

Left only with 'Why?', 2 January 2008
Author: hmd-rami from Canada
It blows me away that such good directing and editing work were put into a story that lacks the basics of what it takes to achieve what it aims for.
So many characters that occupied significant parts of the film had virtually NOTHING to add to the story, and the causes that supposedly drive the plot were either badly overblown or completely unrelated. The level of disconnectedness actually puts to question the otherwise fine acting of almost everyone in 'Day On Fire'.
Come to think of it, I had another issue with this film...why is it called 'Day on Fire'? Even on a symbolic level, nothing really was on fire!
In short, nothing is connected and nothing is clear in this film...hence your left with asking yourself the question...'Why?'
3 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-

waiting for nothing, 21 October 2007
Author: bas kuiper from Netherlands
Don't expect a good film, because it isn't. It's like the series big brother, constantly focusing on daily life. While I was waiting for something meaningful to happen, something to finally draw me into the film and enjoy it. But this moment never came. The throwing around with filmed hints and details of the main figures just gets boring. Why? Because you never get to connect with these people. The music is quite nice, but nothing is really developing in the film itself. You just see and hear fragments of the life of the main characters that happened before. And then in the end, there is a sick twist. The film promises a portrait of ordinary people under extreme circumstances. But actually it's a boring film about a bunch of extremely sad characters in everyday situations. Except for the end, that is. Nothing in it for me. All in all: it's just a film about time passing by, accented by small or big events until it's time to die. A waste of my time it was.
Add another comment
Related Links