The story is riveting and the acting flawless. I loved this movie. And I saw a screening on the same weekend as I saw 2 big box-office films. This one way outshone the others in every way. The story was told with flashbacks in a way that revealed more and more of the linear story as the film progressed. The ensemble acting made you feel you were there with these sisters. And the scenes between each sister and mother deepened our understanding of each character. The screenwriter is not only a wonderful scriptwriter, but also a novelist and we get to know these characters in a way that is usually possible only in novels. There is humor, sometimes dark, but always real that comes from the story, never thrown in merely to break the tension.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Finding Bliss
(2009)
Intelligently funny with depth and surprises
3 February 2010
After seeing "Amy's O," I vowed to watch everything by this filmmaker I could get my hands on. I was not disappointed by "Finding Bliss" except that Julie Davis, herself was not in it. The cast was very strong anyway, and things that usually disappoint me in comedies never did in this one. It's smart without being self-conscious; it's sexy without losing subtlety and it's romantic but never sappy. It doesn't hit you on the head with a message but it has one, which deepens it beyond many romantic comedies. Just when I thought I was sure I knew what would happen next, I was surprised and delighted to be wrong. I will watch it again because I was laughing too hard to get all the gems. One of the most tasteful films I've seen in a long time.
Hidden Chambers
(2007)
"The Mirror" has it.
23 March 2008
I saw "The Mirror" at the Hollywood Film Festival and I was just one of many who thoroughly enjoyed it. Like all good comedy, it was done seriously to give it the reality to make it really funny and the audience was roaring with laughter. Just when you thought you knew where it was going, you discovered you didn't, and the audience's delight at the continual surprises was palpable.
The acting was superb and the use of music to underscore the change from 30's to now was very effective. The plot unfolded in an fascinating way that kept us involved and participating, rather than being spoon fed.
Kelly LeBrock is voluptuously hilarious in a part that could have been played way over the top, but instead was acted with taste and reality that pointed up the wit in the script. The story was told through the eyes of Erin Cahill who played both the narrator and main character beautifully. Thaao Penghlis played the father and was completely believable in the most unbelievable moments, deepening the dark irony of the entire piece. The directing was superb.
"The Mirror" has everything my favorite movies need to have: suspense, wit, intelligence, interesting characters, excellent acting and directing and the most important point of all, which frequently missing story. All the car chases and bombings in the world can't make up for the absence of a good story. "The Mirror" has one. I loved it.
The acting was superb and the use of music to underscore the change from 30's to now was very effective. The plot unfolded in an fascinating way that kept us involved and participating, rather than being spoon fed.
Kelly LeBrock is voluptuously hilarious in a part that could have been played way over the top, but instead was acted with taste and reality that pointed up the wit in the script. The story was told through the eyes of Erin Cahill who played both the narrator and main character beautifully. Thaao Penghlis played the father and was completely believable in the most unbelievable moments, deepening the dark irony of the entire piece. The directing was superb.
"The Mirror" has everything my favorite movies need to have: suspense, wit, intelligence, interesting characters, excellent acting and directing and the most important point of all, which frequently missing story. All the car chases and bombings in the world can't make up for the absence of a good story. "The Mirror" has one. I loved it.
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