There are many aspects to Hateship Loveship lay a groundwork of excellence even before you look at the first frame. Guy Pearce is who drew me to choose it through netflix, as I've never seen a movie of his I didn't like and list him at the top of my charts for fine actors. That said, it was only when I got the disc going that I saw the movie is based on an Alice Munro short story, and she's a fine author with powerful themes. Exceptional supporting cast members Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte sealed the deal in knowing there was a better than average chance that this heretofore unheard of cinema would be an enriching experience in watching. It was only after getting to the end of the film that I realize how often dynamic tension that is created in plots leads to some anxiety-producing situation that oftentimes ends in disappointment. To get to the end of Hateship Loveship without that happening was so satisfying!
That said, Kristen Wiig had me hooked from the opening scene. She is the central figure upon which the plot revolves and she maintains that centrism throughout. Her awkwardness is almost palpable and elicited a pain in my own heart as I watched her stoically navigate through a world where she is an invisible accessory that makes life easier for those around her. It is only when she becomes visible that she becomes vulnerable. There is the heart of a champion that waits within, and it is when an eye sees her that it begins beating.
Guy Pearce plays his character flawlessly. The son in-law on eggshells around his father in-law. The father who wants to be whole with his daughter again. The cokehead who is caught between two worlds. The halfassed boyfriend of another cokehead. The man who is suddenly caught in the spotlight of an affection-starved oddball.
What happens from the time the spotlight begins shining cannot be forgotten. Love's heartbeat begins the world anew for all. To watch makes me feel almost like an aesthete voyeur, privileged.
This film is a keeper and will be watched many times. Thank you to all involved in the making of it.
That said, Kristen Wiig had me hooked from the opening scene. She is the central figure upon which the plot revolves and she maintains that centrism throughout. Her awkwardness is almost palpable and elicited a pain in my own heart as I watched her stoically navigate through a world where she is an invisible accessory that makes life easier for those around her. It is only when she becomes visible that she becomes vulnerable. There is the heart of a champion that waits within, and it is when an eye sees her that it begins beating.
Guy Pearce plays his character flawlessly. The son in-law on eggshells around his father in-law. The father who wants to be whole with his daughter again. The cokehead who is caught between two worlds. The halfassed boyfriend of another cokehead. The man who is suddenly caught in the spotlight of an affection-starved oddball.
What happens from the time the spotlight begins shining cannot be forgotten. Love's heartbeat begins the world anew for all. To watch makes me feel almost like an aesthete voyeur, privileged.
This film is a keeper and will be watched many times. Thank you to all involved in the making of it.