Nostalgia

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Steve D The quality is all over the place. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/07/24 Full Review Audience Member 10 minutes in and I was bored to tears. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Nostalgia (2018), directed by Mark Pellington and written by Pellington and Alex Ross Perry is a dramatic film of lives lived, attachment, memories and loss. And it's a film on the meaning of objects, possessions, and the memories they evoke in the eyes of the beholder. Pellington weaves together many visual elements to create an intriguing film. I liked the way the film opens. The film fades from black with voice over to a close up of the upper body of a woman (Shinelle Azoroh) lovingly touching a necklace, a family heirloom, and her ring, another heirloom, to a close up of her smiling face talking to her customer, cutting to a close up of an outstretched arm of a man reaching over the counter to pay his bill, to a medium angle shot of the waitress and restaurant patron Daniel (John Ortiz) facing each other and talking, and then cutting to a wide angle shot of Daniel turning around and facing the camera while the camera zooms in on him. The film is beautifully shot in colour. Pellington juxtaposes the narrative of the objects against the backstory of the characters. Close ups and medium angle shots are interspersed with wide angle shots, low and high angle shots, and aerial shots creating depth and complexity. The film is comprised of a series of vignettes that beautifully transition into each other that focus your attention on the character and/or the characters interactions. And the film includes a marvelous cast of actors which makes the film and are allowed to shine. Some of the most powerful scenes in the film include Helen (Ellen Burstyn) shifting through her burnt out house which has been reduced to ashes; Daniel (John Ortiz) revisiting Helen's burnt out house alone and miming the actions of opening the front door where nothing remains of the structure, gently handling the burnt out objects, caressing the fireplace, and miming the actions of closing the front door when leaving; and the scenes involving Donna (Catherine Keener) grieving the loss of her daughter, and her character's interaction with her brother, Will (Jon Hamm), her spouse Patrick (James Le Gros), and her close friends. These scenes are emotionally overwhelming and a tribute to Catherine Keener's acting ability. You feel the character's anguish, agony and the pain of her loss. Some of the most poignant scenes involve Will, a middle-aged man, sitting on his bed in his childhood home, and reading his father's letters written to his mother, and meeting Tallie Beam, Donna and Patrick's daughter, (Annalise Basso) while Will and Donna reminisce and go through their family's belongings in the attic of their family home. After catching a glimpse of Tallie, the apple of her mother's eye, and much loved by others, and watching the scenes that follow, you feel the impact of her loss, and are swept up too in the grieving process. It's a fascinating glimpse into the meaning of objects which encapsulate memories, a longing, a desire and a way the characters see themselves, and the importance of lives lived. It is a well-crafted film that artistically explores the theme of loss and memory and letting go, and the title of the film is very apropos. I highly recommend it and a word of warning; bring some tissues with you because you are going to need them. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting movie. Characters and plot a bit all over the place- especially at the beginning of the movie. However, the movie does have more meaning towards the end. Worth watching if you enjoy the actors cast in this flick. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Really slow. Couldn't really get into it. Downer movie. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Ken R Could this have been one of the year's most promising off-beat movies? There's much style to be admired, with a good deal of thoughtful dialogue delivered by a cast of impressive performers. So what went wrong? Right from the opening, it has the power to draw you in - giving you good reasons to be interested in each introduced character. You actually can't help becoming emotionally involved in their varied situations - you want to feel for them, and hope for the best outcomes as you learn more about their stories. John Oritz might arguably own the movies most interesting character as insurance assessor Daniel Kalman but, there are many good characters and performances introduced as the story/stories continue to unfold. This is possibly where it begins to unravel - it strives for one too many sombre situations, becoming like one of those seventies French dramas - where for one reason or other everyone seems to die. Its heart is in the right place but it's so unrelenting the viewer starts to seek some relief or simply to go back to the beginning and learn more about the earlier characters - who are never heard of again. There are some interesting observations examining the value we tend to place on 'things', be they photos or artefacts gathered, as we journey through life. The stories have an odd linking device that doesn't work as well as it should, creating an overall episodic feel. Direction, writing style, photography, impressive cast, and thoughtful music score almost save it but fold under the weight of unrelenting loss. Pity, the screen needs more movies with emotional feelings - if only this picture didn't strive to serve up so much in one sitting. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/09/19 Full Review Read all reviews

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