What made this film so hauntingly beautiful was that fact that the ghost being chased wasn't just Sarah - it was who they both were in their youth, and the overwhelming emotion and honesty that is first love. Was Fielding really seeking Sarah or who he once was - what he once stood for when he loved her? Sometimes when we grow up we let our well-meant integrity, even our simplest dreams, die under the 'reality' of who we end up becoming. I thought this film did an excellent job at showing someone mourning his youth, his wild ideas - and his truest love. I thought Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly both did amazing jobs - the intensity of their performances is what really drove the story. Beautiful acting, beautiful movie.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Tarnation
(2003)
Incredible and brave as hell
22 October 2004
I was completely moved and inspired by this film. For every person calling it exploitive and whining (!), there are five more that understood completely what it's like to be raised at the mercy of other people's illnesses and dysfunctions. I didn't see this as a gay man's film, I saw it as the story of a damaged child who grew into a man willing to own up and come to terms with his painful upbringing. A man who never lost sight of the beautiful moments in what was a difficult if not tragic childhood - and was able to overcome it and use it's recorded fragments to create a film that is brutal and at the same time touching in it's honesty and emotion. This is one man's story, but it speaks for thousands of others raised in similar or even worse situations. It wasn't the camera tricks or the printed history that touched me as much as his willingness to show the anger and frustration of his youth so nakedly - to show what most people spend their whole lives trying to hide. That he was finally able to overcome his demons and find a place for himself and still love and accept the people and things that damaged him shows just how brave he is. How brave we can all be, no matter what our history. It is not a film for all people, but for the those with similar histories or traumas it is absolutely vital. For those who didn't understand it, thank God you didn't. That you never had to. I loved it.
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