Housekeeping

A work of Great Genius, this coming of age film is beautiful, haunting, darkly comic. I love Local Hero but I think this is Bill Forsyth's masterpiece so far. It is about conformity, parenting, coming of age, making choices, madness, creativity, adulthood, tragedies that every family endures, riding on trains, family traits and how they are passed down,living in a small town, life, death, boy scouts doing their good deed for the day, the many uses of newsprint ... the list goes on and on. In short, it is about everything and works at many levels, as a Great Film should. And this is a Truly Great Film, high on my top ten list of favorite films of all time. It is perfectly written, directed and filmed by Bill Forsyth of Scotland, and it includes a great performance by Christine Lahti and also by the supporting cast (esp. those who play her nieces). There is not a bad note in this film, it is a perfect film in every way, to my eye.

I understand why some commentators give this film a low rating -- they came looking for a comedy, or for the light melancholia of Local Hero (also a wonderful movie and one of my favorites). Housekeeping is dark melancholia, but it is also deeper and richer of a brew -- kind of Bergman with a sense of humor, in its vibe (though not its plot) it reminds me of another coming of age film, To Kill a Mockingbird, and it is of that film's high caliber.

This film is woefully under-appreciated in the U.S., I hope it is released on DVD soon. It deserves another chance to be recognized for what it is -- one of the greatest films of a generation. And I so hope that Bill Forsyth, still relatively young in his early sixties, gets back to writing and directing. His films are wonderful but too few. I really want to -- NEED to -- hear more from Mr. Forsyth, I feel his absence deeply, it is as if Yo-Yo Ma or Heifitz put away their fiddles after a few great concerts, and played no more. Please come back, Mr. Forsyth!