So often I read another IMDb reviewers work and think "Wow I could not have said it better myself." The review on the main page really hits the nail on the head with Time Out of Mind. In the first paragraph he states that the film takes a lot of patience to get through and my gosh does it ever. If this had been any other film I would have given up because it is brutally slow, completely non-conventional, heavy handed and some would say (for a medium of entertainment) dull. And yet you feel compelled to continue through it because of the subject matter. The film is undeniably depressing and there really is no plot. He is trying to make amends with his daughter in some fashion but that is only one small flicker of plot in the film. The purpose of this film is to take a glimpse inside the life of someone who is homeless. The ups and downs, the emotional upheaval, the denial, the mental illness that begins to set in for whatever reason. We are given very little back story to our main character and yet you begin to piece little things together. The entire film is this man ambling around New York from one day to the next living his version of life and trying to figure out a way out. In some ways its compelling and in some ways it just doesn't strike the right chords to be really effective.
My reason for watching the film was Richard Gere. He is and always has been one of my favourite actors. This is a very dark, depressing role for him and doesn't exactly give him the opportunity to floor you and yet in his subtly is where the performance is good. You completely believe him and the struggles and his denial and everything he has been through and yet you can't help but feel that he's done a lot of things to put himself into this position. He's an empathetic character but also one you sort of don't feel sorry for at times. I think he plays the role very realistically because of this. Its a subtle role. Jena Malone is really the only other "main" character and she only has a few scenes. She is decent enough in her role but there is no development because she is there just to serve a purpose. The supporting cast are recognizable faces from various other projects. Steve Buscemi, Danielle Brooks, Abigail Savage, Ben Vereen and Tonye Patano are some of the more notable appearances however brief some of them may be.
I'm fascinated by Oren Moverman's work in this film. He wrote and directed the movie and I think he really put a lot of effort into this and really wanted to make it unique, possibly to a fault. He uses a lot of long wide angle shots but the purpose (I think) is to show the world around this man. There are so many times when you can hear or see a random event or person's conversation that has nothing to do with our main character but its simply happening around him. There has got to be a distinct message there and I'm not sure I know exactly what it is but its worth thinking about and any film that actually attempts to be something more than mindless entertainment deserves at least a nod in kudos. Most movie watchers will find this film excruciatingly slow but there is a message here and I think its morbid curiosity that makes us hang in there to see where it goes. There is a hint of redemption but a realistic view of homelessness. 6/10
My reason for watching the film was Richard Gere. He is and always has been one of my favourite actors. This is a very dark, depressing role for him and doesn't exactly give him the opportunity to floor you and yet in his subtly is where the performance is good. You completely believe him and the struggles and his denial and everything he has been through and yet you can't help but feel that he's done a lot of things to put himself into this position. He's an empathetic character but also one you sort of don't feel sorry for at times. I think he plays the role very realistically because of this. Its a subtle role. Jena Malone is really the only other "main" character and she only has a few scenes. She is decent enough in her role but there is no development because she is there just to serve a purpose. The supporting cast are recognizable faces from various other projects. Steve Buscemi, Danielle Brooks, Abigail Savage, Ben Vereen and Tonye Patano are some of the more notable appearances however brief some of them may be.
I'm fascinated by Oren Moverman's work in this film. He wrote and directed the movie and I think he really put a lot of effort into this and really wanted to make it unique, possibly to a fault. He uses a lot of long wide angle shots but the purpose (I think) is to show the world around this man. There are so many times when you can hear or see a random event or person's conversation that has nothing to do with our main character but its simply happening around him. There has got to be a distinct message there and I'm not sure I know exactly what it is but its worth thinking about and any film that actually attempts to be something more than mindless entertainment deserves at least a nod in kudos. Most movie watchers will find this film excruciatingly slow but there is a message here and I think its morbid curiosity that makes us hang in there to see where it goes. There is a hint of redemption but a realistic view of homelessness. 6/10