Change Your Image
parsond
Reviews
Northfork (2003)
Imagery Immersion
Imagery controls this film. The characters, although interesting, ultimately take a back seat. The first scene I remember is a framed black and white shot of the ocean, that then opens to full screen and color. The bubbling of the water gives way to a small coffin that breaks the surface. The theme of the movie here, being that death can be accepted and brought into the realm of the living.
Water as an ultimate consciousness, as a tool of God, is used to here to force people to get their "houses" in order (Judgment Day). The dead have to be accounted for and lifted to a better place. Whatever one has left unresolved or unsettled, will be washed away. There's no clinging on to the past, to a buried memory of what was.
This movie has been compared to O, Brother Where Art Thou, and the threat of water and its use as a cleansing force is similar to that film. What's different in this movie is that the coming of the water is knowable and so, again, the emphasis is on what needs to be done with the here and now.
I agree that the some of the scenes are reminiscent of a David Lynch work. Take, for example, the dinner segment with the deep-voiced and androgynous waitress. One gets the same surreal feel from the setting and odd character as one does with the backwards talker in the scene from Fire Starter. The difference is that Lynch attacks us with the image to express the psychological processes of a troubled character, whereas this film seems to use surreal elements to create a moral message. The men in black suits can't have anything they want-they must be patient and accept what is available.
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Entrancing
This movie showcases Bjork's talents perfectly. You wouldn't think of Bjork as a bright cheery little flower, and she's certainly not portrayed that way in this movie. She does, however, display an amazing array of emotions in this film, producing a fully bloomed character. I enjoyed seeing her both vulnerable and as a woman strong enough to sacrifice herself for someone else. Don't expect fluff here--Bjork drops the anchor.
The mesmerizing aspect of this movie is the music. The musical segments are blended in with the scenes so subtly at times that the effect is like being caught in a dream. The factory scenes are also done well as the use of the rhythmic machine sounds merge naturally into the beginnings of Bjork's songs. I wouldn't say that there aren't times when the singing and dancing seem silly, but there's a real effort here to make these sequences come off like daydreams. Bjork's indomitable spirit is able to soar as a result of her imagination's ability to make contact and interact with her environment, regardless of how dire the circumstances.