Reviews

Though low key and the child's quest is simple, Steven Spielberg has made an amazing film about a child's quest for validation. As I watched this film I found myself fascinated by David's level of sentience. At what point does he become himself and not just a servant to someone else's desires? Haley Joel Osment does a fantastic job of slowly growing David into a real live boy with or without tissue.

I remember watching the first episode of this series and finding it hilarious. It had something to do with a new team mascot who turned out to be a very unhappy guy in a baseball head. The other episodes were not nearly so inspired and the series probably deserved its short run.

The last thirty minutes of this film left me speechless. What I most enjoyed were the philosophies on film and life which flowed through it. The film concentrates on three main characters. The father is in that American Beauty mid life stage where he has become dissatisfied with many of his life decisions and in this case has the rare opportunity to go back and reexamine the next best thing. At the same time his daughter is starting to reach out into the world and discover its complexities in much the same way her father did thirty years before. The other key character is the eight year old son, who displays childlike wonder at the world he is just discovering. This movie is American Beauty meets Keislowsky, set in Taiwan.

When the siren sounds the two main characters head off to do their part for the Israeli state. The bookends on the movie place the context of war as an eventuality that, like working, has to be done. The action doesn't take place at the front but with a medical evac unit who's cleaning up the wounded after the action has moved on. My two reasons for liking this film are the creative camera work and the battlefield sounds and visuals. Early in the film when they're looking for their unit they do accidentally drive right into the front lines and the viewer (camera) is placed right in the back seat of their Fiat as they scramble to get turned around. My one complaint. The characters lack development. Overall an enjoyable film.

This movie can only be described as odd but I loved watching every moment of it. I give it a ten for cinematography. I was constantly swept away by the visuals which nearly made me forget the semi flat acting. Warning: watching in pan and scan will reduce its visual whomp.