This small budget film came as a surprise to me as I sat through my first viewing. The advertisement for the production did not do justice to the excellent film that I was about to see. This presentation turned out to be one of the best films I have watched in the last 20 years.
The movie does not contain a lot of dialog but each word spoken by the actors has such significance. The delivery of dialog by the actors remains some of the best I can remember. The power of words and the performance of the actors in delivering their lines is remarkable.
The camera uses shadow to great effect in the darkest moments of the film. The use of the door frame reminds me of the last seen of John Ford's movie, "The Searchers". The audience sees the world through the perspective of the main characters as they would see it. Sitting inside and looking at the outside world through that doorway. Brilliant.
The gentleness and strength shown by the actress playing the main female role is worthy of acclaim. So is the honest portrayal of the brother of this woman. He shows us a man who is powerful and of great physical presence and yet also capable of gentleness and understanding of others.
The most gifted performance of this film goes to the main character. What great dignity this actor was able to bring out on to the screen by his portrayal of a man with many challenges in life. I am sure if Spencer Tracey was to see this actor's performance and compare it to his own as the simple fisherman based upon Ernest Hemmingway's Book, that Mr Tracey would congratulate this mans performance.
It has left me wanting to see more of the work of this director and the actors in this film. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a movie that is about the actors ability and the work of the director and camera man to bring the story to the screen without the use of loud music or special effects etc.
It is a story that is very well told and leaves me moved by what I saw.
