A great film that deserves to be reviewed and revisited today.
I've said many times that a movie always needs a good story, and this movie is an example of that. The strength of the plot, the way in which it captures our attention and curiosity, the way in which the characters were created, developed, and are able to win our sympathy, everything is combined with an excellent work by the actors and direction. This film seems to me a little forgotten nowadays, but it deserves a review for its enormous quality.
In fact, the whole story revolves around trust in others and in ourselves. Maria, a young teenager who seems determined to stand out in an extravagant way, has just become pregnant with a boyfriend who really doesn't like her and only cares about his personal priorities. Abandoned by him, she causes her father's death unintentionally, after a hard fight, and ends up taking refuge in friendship with the problematic Matthew, another teenager, very mature and formal for his age, owner of an above-average culture, which has already had several problems with the law for not conforming to the world around them, where the average reigns and TV exerts an excessive influence on people. Somehow, they come to understand each other and see the good in each other.
The film is not a comedy, not for me. There is something dramatic about the film and the way things unfold, with the two central characters having to go through a cathartic process in order to become better and finally be able to love and be loved. The issue of family fragmentation and breakdown is also very present throughout the film, where we see failed marriages, defeated by the lack of love and understanding, the monotony of the days and the inconstancy of feelings.
Hal Hartley's direction does an excellent job with little (I don't know, but I got the feeling that the film had a very limited budget). The cinematography is good, and the sets are extraordinarily believable. However, these are just details when you look at the extraordinary work of the actors. Martin Donovan, known to all of us, is in excellent form here and leaves a remarkable record of his talent. Next to him is the young and talented Adrienne Shelly, who was stolen from us too soon and too brutally, as we know. The actress is charismatic and manages to give us the greatest film of her career. Giving them strength, we have good participation from Rebecca Nelson and John MacKay.
