I just got this DVD and was very moved by the story. Some of the more squeamish reviewers would lead you to believe that the best thing about it is Roger Rees' physique. Yes, he's in great shape, but come on, there's a thoughtful and lovely story here. In fact, I'm very annoyed at some of the inaccuracies by the professional reviewers. Some were going for a witty pun or brilliant zinger, rather than a fair analysis of the film.
Both of the main characters are engaging and likable but carry deep and unresolved hurts. They are gentle, good people searching for a way to heal themselves, or at least a way make it through each day with their un-exorcized pain. But the film doesn't wallow in boring angst these are proactive people. Their journey together may be doomed from the start, but it was a good journey for each of them to undertake, and a step closer to the healing each craves.
It's not really about the sex, and I think people who come to the film looking for a sex-thrill aren't going to get what they came for. And the people looking for a sensitive human drama might not choose it in the first place, thinking it would not deliver on that level. But it does. Actually, both characters are fully dressed and being themselves (to the extent they can) in the film's sexiest scene.
People have criticized the ending, but I found it realistic, and more to the point, fully satisfying, if bittersweet. (If you've seen "The Ebony Tower" you may note some parallels.) It may be very hard to generalize how this film will affect people. If you're the kind that can't get past some of the subject matter (or if that's all you came for) you'll miss the forest for the trees. And it's a forest very worth seeing. I thought of the old quote, roughly translated as: "I am human, so nothing human is alien to me." Remember to bring your empathy with you to this film, and I think you'll enjoy a beautiful forest.
Both of the main characters are engaging and likable but carry deep and unresolved hurts. They are gentle, good people searching for a way to heal themselves, or at least a way make it through each day with their un-exorcized pain. But the film doesn't wallow in boring angst these are proactive people. Their journey together may be doomed from the start, but it was a good journey for each of them to undertake, and a step closer to the healing each craves.
It's not really about the sex, and I think people who come to the film looking for a sex-thrill aren't going to get what they came for. And the people looking for a sensitive human drama might not choose it in the first place, thinking it would not deliver on that level. But it does. Actually, both characters are fully dressed and being themselves (to the extent they can) in the film's sexiest scene.
People have criticized the ending, but I found it realistic, and more to the point, fully satisfying, if bittersweet. (If you've seen "The Ebony Tower" you may note some parallels.) It may be very hard to generalize how this film will affect people. If you're the kind that can't get past some of the subject matter (or if that's all you came for) you'll miss the forest for the trees. And it's a forest very worth seeing. I thought of the old quote, roughly translated as: "I am human, so nothing human is alien to me." Remember to bring your empathy with you to this film, and I think you'll enjoy a beautiful forest.