DVD Release Date: Tuesday, September 2nd 2008
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
BACK COVER QUOTE:
“In and awe-inspiring fusion of dream/reality, this offbeat drama about man’s search for meaning amidst the ache of despair chronicles Finn, (Academy Award nominee David Strathairn), a middle-aged English teacher, as he enters a midlife crisis impelled by a recent tragedy.
“In and awe-inspiring fusion of dream/reality, this offbeat drama about man’s search for meaning amidst the ache of despair chronicles Finn, (Academy Award nominee David Strathairn), a middle-aged English teacher, as he enters a midlife crisis impelled by a recent tragedy.
Finn sets afoot selling encyclopedias to the town locals, however his anxieties begin to consume him as he finds himself pursued by an unrelenting ghost. Circling through sleepless nights and desperate days, The Sensation of Sight intertwines lives of loneliness and disconnection, fatefully leading Finn toward an unexpected and sublime awakening .”
REVIEW:
I picked up this film because out of the majority of “B” flicks due out next week this one seemed the most decorated of the choices. With two film festival awards and seven official selections it was only beaten by the documentary Monster Camp, and looked to be a bit more worth my time then The Bait House staring famous rednecks Bill Engvall, and Billy Ray Cyrus.
I picked up this film because out of the majority of “B” flicks due out next week this one seemed the most decorated of the choices. With two film festival awards and seven official selections it was only beaten by the documentary Monster Camp, and looked to be a bit more worth my time then The Bait House staring famous rednecks Bill Engvall, and Billy Ray Cyrus.
To be honest, the majority of this film is rather slow (which is a label I don’t throw around lightly), and lengthy as well at two and a half hours (134 min.). It does have its moments though, and comes with a well done and inspirational conclusion that is worth watching if you are willing to wait for it.
The film’s plot is surprisingly unique and intrinsically well woven together. I use the word “woven” purposely, because you are introduced to new characters from this little town with what appears to be their own sad stories of loss and hard times and only over the course of the film are you shown how their paths have crossed and intersected in many different ways in the past and present, leaving you with an insider understanding of their shared pains and anguishes which helps lead you to fully understand each character and their relationships (or lack there-of) with one another. The sparingly chosen narrative, quotes, and even the ever present “ghost character” of the movie seemed only to intrigue further thought from the viewer and fit well with the film, helping bring a minimal understanding for even the occasional film watcher with minor “attention” problems. Or in my case, allowing myself to be able to comprehend the basics of the storyline even though I could barely hear the dialogue due to my roommate running a mini fan that was as loud as an airplane on his overheating POS laptop. Only downer (beyond the depressing storyline) was the lack of subtitles on the disc. I would have liked to have been able to at read the parts I couldn’t hear, but perhaps I am simply being nit picky.
None the less, the film has a brilliant “awe-ha!” moment at its end, that helps boost your emotions after it spent the last two plus hours destroying them. Its length though, combined with the slow dialogue that doesn’t pick up in intensity till near the finish is what I believe is one of the only causes behind this film being a straight to DVD title. It simply would not have done well in theater because it requires a bit more attention, patience, and time, then the regular box office hits.
For a “B” flick though this one is pretty decent, and as long as you are willing to sit through a long film that requires you to pay attention to at least ¾ of the dialogue to understand the final point of it all then The Sensation of Sight is a nice little independent movie worth at least one rent. I can’t stress enough that if you lack patience and good listening skills I’d think twice before touching this one, so if you rent it and find yourself turning it off after 10 minutes you can’t say I didn’t warn you ahead of time.
