tedg One of the warmest worlds I visit is the expanded world of Spanish extrareality. It is supported by a whole class of intelligent artists. Though it is potentially rich we usually have this world delivered in order to surround sex in some way not usually available.I find myself wishing for other filmmakers to use this -- what is usually called magical realism -- in different ways.Hal Hartley, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, even early Cronenberg Maddin made me hope that a Canadian tradition would sustain a second tradition, one with more powerful emotional abstractions not so dependent on genitals.Here in New Zealand films, I may have discovered another possible home for my constructive retreats.This little film tries all sorts of magical things. That they often are unsuccessful and often have no connective logic makes them more attractive, more engaging. All the magic here is cinematic, every device.Three shots were pretty memorable. One had a long red silk fabric train while our actress walked diagonally across the bright green hill we were by then familiar with. One was when we re-enter the world of physical touch that we had hoped for. Her hand appears from nowhere to caress his head. Very rewarding.The third is of a different order. I won't describe it in detail but it is the payoff, built up through many images. It is of a young woman reaching for the shod foot of a toddler sticking out of a cloud and not quite reachable. Its really quite lovely. The woman in question is truly a striking actress, Danielle Cormack, who seems to limit herself to local indie films and stupid TeeVee. Well, she is one of the best mouth actresses I have seen.I really liked this. It seems to be a voyage through womanhood for men, and I learned.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

em3raldxiii I enjoyed this movie very much. In fact, my wife and I enjoyed it so much, I have given it a 10 out of 10 rating. It is pretty important to watch this movie and think about symbolism and metaphor, so be aware that this movie might be confusing to you if you take it all very literally.The actors & actresses were extremely convincing, the cinematography was quite skillful, and the setting was idyllic. I almost wish I could visit the shooting location. The scenario was true-to-life in a very abstract way, punctuating some of the most topsy-turvy and emotional aspects of a relationship. In a way, they are outlining a stereotypical relationship, paying special attention to the subtler aspects of a marriage.If you have never had a long-term relationship, some aspects of this movie might not make a heck of a lot of sense to you.In the end, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes to figure out metaphors and symbolism. There are no explosions. :D

gengen-1 I watch a lot of movies and I make friends and family "endure" the odd/interesting ones I find. This is so refreshingly unique and (to me) a true love story that I shared it with many. Though it may be more of a chick flick--romantic comedies tend to be--the more savvy movie-loving guys appreciated its fantasy and fun. My husband agreed with reviews that said this film was confusing and too much. I loved every mysterious, misleading scene. I understood the emotion of both characters and felt that love is just as crazy as it was portrayed. I related to being on the polar ends of love and thoroughly enjoyed how the director showed this. Beautiful inside and out.

hedoh Not altogether a bad film, it is definitely unique. A disjointed story line makes this film hard to watch in one go (I watched the DVD release). I did however find myself coming back to watch more and more of the movie over a period of a few days.The film is at least saved by the often visually stunning imagery and general views of the New Zealand(?) countryside (I'd own the film for that detail alone) if not the quality of the acting from the main characters (if you ignore the often very fantastical story line).Watch this film on a slow and lazy day.