Northfork

PG-13

Released Jul 11, 2003

1h 43m

Drama

List

57%

103 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

As Northfork, Montana, is being evacuated in preparation for a new dam, young Irwin (Duel Farnes) lies dying in a local orphanage, with Father Harlan (Nick Nolte) by his side, taking care of him. Also yet to leave are Willis (Mark Polish) and his father, Walter (James Woods), who head up the evacuation team. In a comatose state, Irwin has four angelic visitors who hope to find a way for him to leave Northfork, as it faces its demise in the haunting shadow of the dam.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Nov 01

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent Northfork on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Critics Consensus

Visually poetic, but may be too dramatically inert for some.

Read Critics Reviews

ronald h

Northfork is a difficult film to describe, and it moves slowly---likely too slowly for a lot of viewers. And much of the dialogue is whispered in reverent tones, to the point where you may need to use closed captioning. It's a movie that demands a lot from the viewer. Is it worth the effort? I say yes. It's heavy on affectation, a dreamlike semi-fantasy that takes place in 1955 rural Montana. Northfork is a small town that is being evacuated because a huge hydroelectric dam is being built on its river and the entire area will be flooded and turned into a reservoir. The cast is star-studded: Nick Nolte, James Woods, Anthony Edwards, Pater Coyote, and Darryl Hannah, all playing what are probably the strangest roles of their careers. Most of the residents have moved. A team of "evacuators" has been assigned by the government to assist the stubborn few who refuse to leave—including one resident who blasts his shotgun at them and another who has built an ark. Meanwhile, an ailing young boy named Irwin (Duel Farnes) encounters four angels who are seeking another angel who is missing. Is he hallucinating or are the angels real? No spoilers here. It sounds weird, and it is. The color scheme is largely washed out greys, giving everything an ethereal quality. The cinematography by M. David Mullen is glorious, capturing the vastness of Montana. It has a lonesome, isolated effect. There are bits of wry humor, Coen brothers style, but you aren't likely to laugh out loud. You'll be too busy scratching your head in puzzlement. Brothers Mark and Michael Polish are working in the realm of magic realism. This film will fascinate those with the patience to stay with it. Others will be frustrated by the obliqueness of it all. I'm in the former group. I think films like this, that depart far from the Hollywood mainstream, are precious. I was entranced.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Many things don't fit together. Nick Nolte as a priest in a non-catholic church? Why have such old cars from the 30s and 40s yet with a 55 Chevy? Cows out on a desert? Seems to be fantasy like a Bergman movie.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

In 1955, officials try to convince reluctant residents of Northfork, Montana (one of who has built an ark) to leave before the town is flooded by new dam construction; meanwhile, a dying orphan meets a ghostly family and tries to convince them to take him with them. The mildly surreal Big Sky spirituality here may be too dry to inspire as intended, but it does set a unique and thoughtful mood.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Strange allegorical movie. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out the allegory. Loved Nick Nolte & the oddball quartet. Wish it would have been just a little more accessible while maintaining the sense of magical possibilities.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Completely disappointed. It held promise but never delivered.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's a strange trip, something like David Lynch and Lars von Trier with a soul. Bizarre, sometimes playing almost like a theatre piece, others with an epic scope beneath vast wastelands. A meditation on the american spirit, and it's intertwining relationship with god and spirituality. There is no character to which to relate, and none of said characters are more than abstract representations of angels, life, death, or god. So, to say it is dense, but original. Like a fever daydream.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Michael Polish

Director

James Woods

Walter O'Brien

Nick Nolte

Father Harlan

Claire Forlani

Mrs. Hadfield

Duel Farnes

Irwin

Mark Polish

Willis O'Brien

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Northfork: Official Clip - A Thousand Miles

2:11

Northfork: Official Clip - I'm Happy

1:49

Northfork: Official Clip - Window Shopping

2:01

Northfork: Official Clip - Your Boat Doesn't Float

2:02

Northfork: Official Clip - I Gave You an Angel

2:12

Northfork: Official Clip - Two Types of People

1:00

Northfork: Official Clip - Ever Smell Death?

1:00

Northfork: Official Clip - The Evacuation Committee

2:13

Northfork: Official Clip - The Dam Opening Ceremony

1:01

Northfork: Official Clip - The Bottom Feeders

2:13

View more videos

91%

83%

King of the Hill

54%

73%

Safe Passage

36%

87%

Illusion

86%

74%

Homicide: The Movie

52%

67%

An Unfinished Life

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

"White Noise 2" Set Visit: Hanging With Nathan Fillion, PLUS The First "White Noise 2" Set Photos!

Billy Bob to Become an "Astronaut Farmer"

View more photos

J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Stark, mysterious, and often weirdly funny.

Jul 2, 2022

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

Jamie Russell

BBC.com

Rated: 1/5

Mar 16, 2004

Full Review

Paul Sherman

Boston Herald

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 16, 2005

Full Review

Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

...a transcendent tone poem, an arrangement in dun and gray marred only slightly by the brothers' insistence on the occasional tin-ear joke

Rated: A-

Jan 27, 2005

Full Review

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

A moody and layered meditation on and evocation of literal and figurative states of purgatory.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 3, 2005

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

As Northfork, Montana, is being evacuated in preparation for a new dam, young Irwin (Duel Farnes) lies dying in a local orphanage, with Father Harlan (Nick Nolte) by his side, taking care of him. Also yet to leave are Willis (Mark Polish) and his father, Walter (James Woods), who head up the evacuation team. In a comatose state, Irwin has four angelic visitors who hope to find a way for him to leave Northfork, as it faces its demise in the haunting shadow of the dam.

Director: Michael Polish
Producer: Paul Mayersohn, James Woods, Anthony Romano, Michel Shane, Janet Jensen, Damon Martin, Bruce E. Jones, Barbara A. Jones, Gil Amaral
Screenwriter: Michael Polish, Mark Polish
Distributor: Paramount Pictures, Romano Shane Productions
Production Co: Romano Shane Productions, Polish Brothers Construction, Pohibition Pictures, Departure Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Brief Sexuality)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 11, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.4M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now