Islander (2006)

Director:

Ian McCrudden

Writers:

Ian McCrudden (writer) &
Thomas Hildreth (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

After causing a tragic accident at sea, Eben Cole loses his family, friends and stature in his island fishing community...

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Thomas Hildreth	...	Eben Cole
James Parks	...	Pokey
Mark Kiely	...	Jimmy
Christopher Major	...	Junior
Walter Day	...	John John
Philip Baker Hall	...	Popper
Honorah Warren	...	Betty
Mackenzie Young	...	Young Sara
Amy Jo Johnson	...	Cheryl
Ed Conway	...	Karl
Larry Pine	...	Old Man Cole
Robert Taylor	...	Additional Fisherman
Donna Jean Smith	...	Doris
Nicole Lazaro	...	Counter Woman #1
Angela Hufsey	...	Counter Woman #2

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Rockland, Maine, USA

Company:

Down East Films

Goofs:

Factual errors: Eben's attorney says he is from the "Maine Public Defender's office." However, no such office exists - Maine hires private attorneys for indigent clients.

Soundtrack:

Five Years Gone

Decent Story, Clumsily and Amateurishly Written

This is the sort of movie that might have been a Movie of the Week many years ago, but without the slickness. The plot points are fairly trite. There is not much nuance in this movie. I hate it when a director or writer has to resort to black and white contrasts in order for you to get the point. You want to make someone be less sympathetic? Have that person rape someone. How 'bout making someone more sympathetic? Make sure they get a disfiguring, bloody injury.

Not many characters in this film are very thoughtful, except when the plot calls for that character to shine relative to a not very thoughtful character. Many act out of knee-jerk reactions.

Many speak with a phony hyped-up Maine accent. For some reason, everybody who lives in Bahston or Mayen have wicked accents. Anyone else laugh at the dialect of the educated psychiatrist in "The Departed"? This could have been a very good story about rehabilitation and redemption, and it's not terrible overall, but there are too many groaners in the form of badly written dialogue or plot points.

Perhaps my view of this film is tainted by having just seen a beautiful film, an HBO production called "Langford", based on a member of British Parliament who befriended a convicted child killer. "Langford" was a beautifully written, nuanced film, with lots of room for the viewers to think in the gray areas.

I wish the writers and filmmaker had more trust in the audience.