Northfork (2003)

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The Tenderness of Nick Nolte and Daryl Hannah is what makes this film. The surreal perspective of purpose came across as real. If you believe, you can achieve. The film is a beautiful portrait of nearing an end. Some of us have that opportunity of being with someone who reaches the end. Here is a poetic point of view of those precious moments. James Wood does a good job in this work too.

NORTHFORK is above all a masterpiece of widescreen cinematography. For this alone the film is well worth one's time. The stark, wide open plains and badlands of eastern Montana are captured in the spare, muted earth tones of autumn or early spring. The gigantic grey cement Fort Peck Dam is the film's protagonist. The film comments both subtly and not so subtly on about a dozen issues of Western Landscape. The dialogue can be trying at times, yet the images and concepts are powerful enough to lift the film. The 1950's period works so well here and is executed so well. I think that the passing years will be kind to this film.

Maybe because my grandmother homesteaded in Montana and my dad grew up there in a log cabin, but Montana holds a special place in my otherwise-urban heart. Instead of going for the lush color-saturated beauty of "A River Runs Through It," the Polish brothers have captured the stark beauty of Montana winter, evoking a b&w film by various means of color desaturation, from art direction to assorted film processing techniques, to good effect in my humble opinion. So the palette of gray scale and sepia and flesh tones, pale blue sky and silver airplane and concrete dam, effectively supports the dreamlike quality. The two stories interweave gracefully - it worked beautifully for me. The acting is of a very high standard (although I suspect it may have required judicious editing of the "Irwin" performance, as is often the case with child actors); the writing reminds me of skipping a stone across a lake, touching lightly on various elements before moving into the depths. I enjoyed the direction and editing a lot although I can imagine that some people would find the some of the cuts too "artistic" - but then I like movies that recognize they're movies and they can juxtapose visuals and elements in a way that we can't, living day to day.

Last September I joined a small movie discussion group here in Rotterdam, that was just starting up. It remained very quiet until abut two weeks ago, when I was invited to the first get together. 10 days later I ended up picking the movie, leading the discussion, and being hostess in my own home! The movie buff who was going to bring the movie and lead the discussion copped out 5 days ahead of time. I'd seen Northfork 6 months earlier and loved it! As I'd hoped, the 15 people (aged 27 to 80!) who came all had enough to say about the movie after we watched it together. The discussion came spontaneously, mainly because everyone had their own, very diverse opinion of the movie, and all were impressed by the fantastic scenery shown. Some found it very difficult, others fantastic, but all enjoyed it. The most difficult part was translating the information and comments I'd collected from internet into dutch beforehand!! Now, however, I have a problem... they all want a repeat performance and, although I enjoyed doing it this time, I don't know all that much about movies!! I'd appreciate some suggestions for a suitable movie to discuss the next time.