Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Tilda Swinton | ... | Margaret Hall | |
Goran Visnjic | ... | Alek Spera | |
Jonathan Tucker | ... | Beau Hall | |
Peter Donat | ... | Jack Hall | |
Josh Lucas | ... | Darby Reese | |
Raymond J. Barry | ... | Carlie Nagel (as Raymond Barry) | |
Tamara Hope | ... | Paige Hall | |
Jordon Dorrance | ... | Dylan Hall | |
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Heather Mathieson | ... | Sue Lloyd |
Holmes Osborne | ... | Loan Officer | |
Richard Gross | ... | Deputy Sheriff | |
Kip Martin | ... | BVD | |
Frankie Loyal | ... | Barrish Brother (as Franco Delgado) | |
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Kip Ellwood | ... | Male Nurse |
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Margot Krindel | ... | Jackie |
With her husband perpetually away at work, a mother raises her children virtually alone. Her teenage son is testing the waters of the adult world, and early one morning she wakes to find the dead body of his gay lover on the beach of their rural lakeside home. What would you do? What is rational and what do you do to protect your child? How far do you go and when do you stop? Written by Sujit R. Varma
I saw this film last summer in the theaters and while it didn't do much for me at the time, something in it stayed with me. I rented it again and watched it twice more and am now convinced it is a terrific film.
A lot has been said about Swinton's portrayal of a frustrated housewife and she is brilliant, she carries the film with a head-on intensity.
But the screenplay should also be lauded. Yes, this is straight out of 1940's noir, but it all works.
A lot has been said about the sex and sexuality switch of Swinton's son, but it works perfectly. One might ask . . . why doesn't she ask her son about the body before she dumps it? But that would involve TALKING to her son about his sexuality. She'd rather bury the evidence, than ever admit to herself that her son is gay.
Over the course of the film, Swinton begins to understand her son better, she realizes that everyone has their secrets and desires. Her son also realizes the worry he has put his mother through. The last shot, of mother and son huddled together on the bed is of two strong-willed people finally understanding each other as equals. It's a wonderfully telling moment.
Be sure to watch this film more than once . . . it can be taken on many levels.
james