Limbo (1999)

In an economically devastated Alaskan town, a fisherman with a troublesome past dates a woman whose young daughter does not approve of him. When he witnesses the murder of his shady brother, he, the woman and the kid run to the wilderness.

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

David Strathairn, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Vanessa Martinez

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Laskin	...	Albright
Leo Burmester	...	Harmon King
Hermínio Ramos	...	Ricky
Dawn McInturff	...	Audrey
Vanessa Martinez	...	Noelle De Angelo
David Strathairn	...	Joe Gastineau
Tom Biss	...	Baines
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Donna De Angelo
Jimmy MacDonell	...	Randy Mason
Kathryn Grody	...	Frankie
Rita Taggart	...	Lou
Mérit Carlson-van Dort	...	Stacy
Monica Brandner	...	Corky
Maria Gladziszewski	...	Denise
Kris Kristofferson	...	Smilin' Jack

Storyline

Limbo tells the story of people trying to reinvent themselves in the Southeastern islands of Alaska. The story revolves around Joe Gastineau, a fisherman traumatised by an accident at sea years before, singer Donna de Angelo and her disaffected daughter Noelle who come into Joe's life. When Joe's fast-talking half-brother Bobby returns to town and asks Joe for a favor, the lives of the characters are changed forever.

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Plot Keywords:

man undressing | bare chested male | male underwear | briefs | white briefs | 

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Taglines:

A condition of unknowable outcome

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed entirely in Alaska.

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Goofs

In a scene near the beginning Donna (Mastrantonio) and Joe (Straithairn) are riding in his truck. Donna's cigarette smoke is blowing away behind her and in close-up her hair is moving, but throughout the scene you can see the windows are obviously both closed.

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Quotes

Joe: Where are you living these days?
Jack: Two steps ahead of the finance company.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Instinct/The Loss of Sexual Innocence/Limbo (1999)

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Soundtracks

Loving You Is Hell Enough For Me
Written by John Sayles and Mason Daring
Performed by Rust Farm (Chris Moore and John McGann)
with Marshall Wood and Tim Jackson

User Reviews

'Limbo' is Aptly Titled

I'd suggest that viewers watch 'Limbo' on DVD with the voice-over narrative by John Sayles, the director. A lot of insights provided there, including a lot of little details which give you insight into movie-making--the reason for multiple takes, visual effects, the importance of 'continuity', and even a lot about sound, which was a big issue in the making of this film.

I was amazed to learn that Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is such a terrific singer--she sang all the songs and, in fact, her voice was recorded live while shooting the scenes, not dubbed in later in post-production. Sayles describes this in his narrative.

Sayles had less to say in the narrative about the ending, but based on the comments he DID make it was all quite intentional--not the result of studio politics or a screenwriter (Sayles himself) who couldn't decide on a final ending. In fact, I would suggest that it is Sayles' standing in the business that permitted this film to be produced & released without answering the question of what becomes of those characters, though it also occurs to me that it could be the reason why this film didn't get much of a marketing push. Clearly the audience is left hanging in--dare I say it--a state of limbo. Sayles has no intention, based on his comments, of a sequel, though he invites anyone else to dream one up if they wish.

But aside from all this, it was a terrific film, with interesting characters, shot in unusual and often stunning locations ("Insomnia" comes to mind when thinking of recent films shot in Alaska with its scenic backdrops).

The cast was generally quite good--Mastrantonio and Strathairn were terrific, and Kris Kristofferson was a great choice as the likable but edgy local, Smilin' Jack Johannson. Vanessa Martinez was, for me, less convincing as the daughter until the boat trip and beyond, but that is when her character becomes truly important to the story and her work was quite good when it mattered most; up to then it was all teenage angst.

Overall, I enjoyed 'Limbo' a great deal, and the limbo in which the audience is left with such abruptness was, for me, almost a slap in the face--a welcome one--in striking contrast to the 'Star Wars' series in which George Lucas took 6 movies and nearly 30 years to tell us how Darth Vader came to be.

Note: I am NOT slamming Lucas or 'Star Wars' by that comment, only making a point.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 July 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Ennen kuolemaa

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$139,634, 6 June 1999

Gross USA:

$2,160,710

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,160,710

Company Credits

Production Co:

Green/Renzi

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1