A few twists in the tale bring things further into focus, but much of the story remains artfully vague. This open-handed approach is the film's greatest strength, along with some genuinely good music. Otherwise though, it's all pretty dull and irritating. The cast is very uneven. Owen is the film's greatest asset, and yet her character is somewhat sidelined by the focus on Stephen. And while O'Gorman is quite good, he never makes Mark a strong enough figure to carry the film. Prast is just a bit too broad and obvious, Brunning and Hawthorne drift over the top, and Westaway (as Katie's American boyfriend) is pure cartoon. There are also innumerable holes in the script, which give the dialog the ring of truth (characters referring to things in their past we know nothing about) but leave us out in the cold. And as a director, Maxwell enjoys playing God far too much, with lots of irritating editing and camera work. He shoots himself in the foot more than once, undermining the emotional resonance in a scene by withholding key information. In the end we simply never find enough to grab onto to make the film remotely satisfying. It is intriguing in spots though.

themes, language, drugs, sexual situations

19.Jun.01

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