Heh. Funny thing about this film, I first saw it years ago at about 3am on one of the terrestrial TV channels. Can't remember which one. I was jobless at the time and because of this I had taken to waking up around midday and staying up til about 5am, doing god knows what. So anyway I was in a bit of stupor and I couldn't really sleep since I'd jacked up my sleep cycle so much. I was flicking through the channels and saw the title for this film. Thinking it was something completely different I flicked over and was quite perplexed that instead of Michael Madsen soft shoeing to 'Stuck in the middle with you' while slicing ears, I was treated to a little girl stalking some lawnmower dude. However I sat through the whole thing and found it charming. Then I went ahead and forgot about it. Years later I was browsing through the cheap section at HMV when I saw this DVD, I again mistook it for Reservoir Dogs, but read the blurb and vaguely remembered liking it when I saw it that time at 3am. So I bought it and watched it again, and a couple more times after that.
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| Obviously this had nothing to do with that. |
It stars Sam Rockwell (whom I have nothing but love for)
seriously, really young...
So if I remember it correctly. Sam Rockwell, mows lawns in a very upscale gated community. the community members look down on him because he is working class, despite the fact that they are all awful selfish dickheads. Even one of their own is secretly sleeping with him. Devon (Mischa Barton's character whose name I do remember for some reason) is the child of one of those selfish asshats. She doesn't like her community or her parents because she is precocious and wise beyond her years and sees their behaviour for what it is. She attempts to befriend Sam Rockwell's character. He resists at first, because... you know, creepy. But she is persistent and they end up finding that they get on well and have a lot in common. They embark on what is an innocent friendship but throughout the whole movie you just know that the outside world, namely Devons community would not view it as such. Eventually Devon slips the beans about her friendship with Sam Rockwell and the pitchfork wielding (or gun in this case) villagers head up to... TRENT! That was his name. So the villagers head over to Trent's to punish him for something they have assumed he did. As Trent is about to be beaten to death, Devon, who accompanied the mob (I may be exaggerating here) takes the gun and shoots one of them. She allows Trent to escape and then climbs a tree. A significant tree I think, though I can't remember why it is significant.
After a rewatch:
Hmmm... I have concerns. So yes their relationship is very innocent, but the movie and namely the director doesn't seem to be. There are few scenes which gave me many head scratching moment. For example an older guy running a bullet along ten year old Devons lips.
and knowing what I now know about the director, I have a slight uncomfortable feeling. However I still love the film, I like Devon and Trent and I like them together. They seem to understand each other in a way no one else around them really does.
The film devolves into magical realism at the end which when I first watched I found off putting and unrealistic but when I think about it, the entire film has an unreal quality to it. The gated community reminded me a little of the pastel coloured suburb in Edward Scissorhands (talk about magical realism). It seemed to exist in the middle of nowhere. It is very much a fairy tale.
The tree is significant because it forms part of the story Devon repeatedly tells throughout the film of Baba Yaga, a Russian witch who eats children. I know somehow that the story is supposed to be symbolic, but I still don't quite get how it fits. Devon gets Trent to hang ribbons in the tree for her. At the beginning of the film Devon is the child who needs help escaping from the witch, in the end it is she who helps Trent escape. While disjointed and a bit odd the film has a mesmerising quality to it and the two leads have such a sweet chemistry you can't help liking it.
It has interesting things to say about class and about perception. It's one of the DVD's I own, that I can watch repeatedly. It's beauty is in it's simplicity.
Thumbs up for this one.
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After a rewatch:
Hmmm... I have concerns. So yes their relationship is very innocent, but the movie and namely the director doesn't seem to be. There are few scenes which gave me many head scratching moment. For example an older guy running a bullet along ten year old Devons lips.
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| What are you doing with that? |
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| No... just... no |
and knowing what I now know about the director, I have a slight uncomfortable feeling. However I still love the film, I like Devon and Trent and I like them together. They seem to understand each other in a way no one else around them really does.
The film devolves into magical realism at the end which when I first watched I found off putting and unrealistic but when I think about it, the entire film has an unreal quality to it. The gated community reminded me a little of the pastel coloured suburb in Edward Scissorhands (talk about magical realism). It seemed to exist in the middle of nowhere. It is very much a fairy tale.
The tree is significant because it forms part of the story Devon repeatedly tells throughout the film of Baba Yaga, a Russian witch who eats children. I know somehow that the story is supposed to be symbolic, but I still don't quite get how it fits. Devon gets Trent to hang ribbons in the tree for her. At the beginning of the film Devon is the child who needs help escaping from the witch, in the end it is she who helps Trent escape. While disjointed and a bit odd the film has a mesmerising quality to it and the two leads have such a sweet chemistry you can't help liking it.
It has interesting things to say about class and about perception. It's one of the DVD's I own, that I can watch repeatedly. It's beauty is in it's simplicity.
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| Who would love to dance to Bruce Springsteen on the roof of a truck? |
Thumbs up for this one.
Hey folks, it is a real story. I have met the pair personally. In reality, Devon's home is one of trent and trent is living inside the high rock walls. And the whole attraction both share, pops out from their respective propensity. The tree is a joint product of them that they are gifted because of each other. Devon's eternal hug with the tree symbolizes the metaphysical gains she got out of her truth. Yes that all happened even the name of the writer and devon resembles. And every bit of the dialogue and every scene of it really happened metaphorically of course.
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