More Summer Indies
By
Anthony
Kusich
 Main Page
The Clearing
   Director:  Pieter Jan Brugge
After reading Peter Biskind's very absorbing (but somewhat repetitive) Miramax-Sundance expose
"Dirty Words and Pictures," it's very hard not to think of every Robert Redford movie as some sort
of vanity project.  Nonetheless, this finely acted drama -- which in retrospect stays with you more as
an examination of marriage than a kidnapping thriller -- delivers the goods.  Its unusual treatment of
the standard linear narrative, complex dissection of the fragility of marital bonds, and an expecially
determined performance by Helen Mirren (as the wife of sometime infidel Redford, who's been
snatched by Willem Dafoe) make it well worth the time.       
   My grade:  B
   Screened:  July 27
Garden State
   Director:  Zach Braff
A resolutely individual voice comes from a surprising place in writer-director-actor Zach Braff's
feature debut.  In this exceptionally well-photographed and well-scored romance, a heavily
medicated actor (Braff) returns to New Jersey from L.A. and sparks a romance with an equally
neurotic (albeit in a completely different way) twentysomething played by the beguiling Natalie
Portman.  The mix of emotions is deft and the realistic dialogue is sharp, both of which combine for
one of many great setpieces in the party scene at the film's beginning; it's the most accurate
portrayal of what young people actually do on a Friday night I've seen in any contemporary film.  
Though the drama ends on a maudlin note at an airport -- something that belongs in another film
altogether -- our relationship with the characters and involvement in their problems runs so deep that
this flaw is easy to forgive.  Braff clearly commands all aspects of the medium and has crafted a
handsome film that resonates long after the last reel.             
   My grade:  B+
   Screened:  August 14
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Short Reviews as of September 7th, 2004
Open Water
   Director:  Chris Kentis
Even more so than with "The Blair Witch Project," which this digitally-shot shark indie has often
been compared to, you must overlook some hideous videography and even more hideous acting to
enjoy it.  That said, it's a pretty remarkable accomplishment given the small budget and reliance
upon actual sharks to serve up some very visceral thrills.  But without giving anything away, the
movie ends too anticlimactically to leave a lasting impression; it's as if the filmmakers weren't sure
they wanted us sent out of the theater depressed, relieved, or shocked.     
   My grade:  B-
   Screened:  August 6
Maria Full of Grace
   Director:  Joshua Marston
The theme of this page seems to have inadvertently become good movies hampered by bad endings,
and this otherwise gripping story about a pregnant Colombian drug trafficker sent to New York City
falls into the same category.  But again, this is pretty minor compared to the level of suspense and
attachment that gets cultivated by the pic's intensely involving characters.  In graphic firsthand
fashion, we see the process by which drug mules swallow drug capsules, attempt to cross airport
security, and survive the "dropoff."  Most of the the film's sympathy is gathered by the actress in the
title role, Catalina Sandino Moreno, who seems a shoo-in for recognition at the Independent Spirit
Awards.  Now if only Oscar would take notice of such a naturalistically beautiful performance...  
   My grade:  B+
   Screened:  August 30