Almost a great movie. Yeah, I know, only in horseshoes, hand grenades and scrabble. Still, what could have been if the writing was shored up. If a less callow writer/director took the reins. Gass-Donnelly's métier seems to be serial underwhelming. He's a bit of a Midas in reverse type. I don't know why the unknown ginger beard was cast in a lead role. You have Dermot Mulroney and Justin Long in the cast, at your disposal, why not roll with one of those decent actors in that role? Ginger doesn't even show a believable emotion until the 3/4 mark of the film. And that little daughter actor, geez Louise, she has the voice of a toy keyboard. Listening to a single line out of her is tantamount to aural flagellation. On to the positives, as there are many. Abbie Cornish is phenomenal in this. Her best performance since Candy. She has natural beauty and acting acumen in wild abundance. She reminds me of a young Gena Rowlands in this...without the benefit of brilliant Cassavetes direction. The photography is beautiful, too, for the most part. Makes sense since Cornish has a penchant for taking photos in this role. Pause certain scenes and you have really nice paintings. I loved the attempt at unconventional storytelling, but the writer gave up on it about 3/4s of the way through and provided an idiot's guide. You can get lost in this story. Feel like you have amnesia. The plot holes are kind of like rabbit holes here. They turn you around. In these fugue states you find yourself truly relating to Abbie's character. Sometimes feeling like you are being Gass-lighted with her. Commiserating with her. All in all it is a somewhat noble stab at studying deep trauma. I won't go too deep because I hate spoilers. A good movie that could've been great in more gifted hands. Wonder and frustration in equal measure.
Review of Lavender
