A curious little film that I received from a magazine DVD giveaway (!) and that I watched in December on a quiet night. It has an excellent cast, great cinematography and a sincere script. Things I liked include the banter between the two cop partners; Penelope Cruz's acting; and an intelligent Susan Sarandon in just about every scene. The problem is that it is a little too sweet. There are some very dark themes -- the death of a baby; a jealous husband's violence leading to death; and a young man so distressed he badly injures himself. Yet the audience doesn't witness these horrible things; they're all just described to us. You get the sense that all the loose ends will be tied up, and the film has quite a gentle pace. But it is obviously a movie made with love, and the cast give it their all. And there are some great ideas and some really lovely scenes, such as Sarandon gatecrashing a party and longing to belong to a big family.
Review of Noel
