Studio: Warner Independent

Directed By: John Curran

Year: 2003

Written By: Larry Gross (based On Stories By Andre Dubus)

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern, Naomi Watts

Genre: Drama

Plot/Notes: The movie is set in the Pacific Northwest; specifically, Washington state. We know this from a glimpse of a license plate, the craftsman architecture of the two houses, the mature, rich landscapes in between. The setting, like the scrutiny of the four main characters' lives, is defined by the narrowness of the camera's field-of view. The one commercial street in town is only seen in the reflection of a store window, a shot of a non-descript auto-yard, or the tunnel of a tree-lined suburban sidewalk. The lush, wooded landscape is understood as an immediate presence in the domestic, professional lives of the characters; a steep hill, railroad tracks, a rushing stream, and a path over an old steel bridge are revisited again, again by the characters in their capacities as lovers, parents, friends.

Price: 15.00