Category Archives: Quiet

2015, Character Driven, Fatal Accident, Fatherless child, Kanopy streaming, Narcissist, Quiet, Reconciliation, Slow, Talking Heads, Unusual ending, Wim Wenders, Writer

Every Thing Will Be Fine (2015)

From IMDB:

One day, driving aimlessly around the outskirts of town after a trivial domestic quarrel, a writer named Tomas accidentally hits and kills a child. Will he be able to move on?

From Kanopy:

A horrific car accident alters the lives of James Franco & Rachel McAdams in legendary director Wim Wenders’ gripping film about love and redemption.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 59 minute drama film.

Slow, quiet, heavy on conversations between Tomas (played by James Franco) and one of the many people in his life, this film doesn’t drive toward some conclusion, but rather seems to want to understand Tomas’ character.  You should draw your own conclusions about Tomas. Is he a selfish, unfeeling narcissist? Does he really care about the people he affects?

While watching the film, at several points I asked myself “Why am I enjoying this really slow, understated story that seems to jump from one point in Tomas’s life to some later unrelated point?”

Would someone volunteer their reading of Tomas?

2022, Abandoned child, Acceptable for teenagers, B-movie, Chick Flick, Christmas theme, Corny at times, Death of a child, Drama, Failed Marriage, Family Secrets, Father-son relations, Flashbacks, Happy ending, Netflix Streaming, NOT violent, Quiet, Reconciliation, Romance, Unmarried mother

The Noel Diary (2022)

From IMDB:

The story of a man who returns home on Christmas to settle his estranged mother’s estate. Once there, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and of a beautiful young woman on a mysterious journey of her own.

From Netflix:

Cleaning out his childhood home at Christmas, a novelist meets a
woman searching for her birth mother. Will an old diary unlock
their pasts — and hearts?

From Netlix you can stream this 1 hour 40 minute romance drama.

While a step up from a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, this is still in the same vein.  Of course the famous popular writer Jacob Turner (played by Justin Hartley) will eventually fall in love with Rachel (played by Barrett Doss).

And no, I have never heard of any of the actors.

Still, it is a relief from all the omnipresent violent entertainment in today’s streaming choices.

And it is NOT sappy.

2017, Abuse of Women, Based on true facts, British Drama, Brother-Sister relations, Couture, Defies Categorization, Distant Cold Mother, DO NOT MISS, Drone warfare, Eccentric cast of characters, Emotional abuse, Haute Couture, Jealousy, Love Story, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Mushrooms, Netflix Streaming, Privileged Upper Class, Psychological Drama, Psychological Tension, Quiet, Remarkable Costumes, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Unusual, Wonderful acting

Phantom Thread (2017)

From IMDB:

Set in 1950s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour 10 minute British drama.

From Wikipedia we learn:

The film received acclaim for its acting, screenplay, direction, musical score, costume design, and production values. It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2017,[and is considered one of the best films of the 2010s.

Sandra Cohen, a psychologist and psychoanalyst, maintains a web site called “Characters on the Couch” in which she analyzes characters in various dramas.  Her analysis of this film is worthwhile and extensive.

Cast includes:

  • Daniel Day-Lewis as the couturier Reynolds Woodcock.
  • Vicky Krieps as Alma.  Her resumé is extensive but somehow she is not especially well-known.
  • Lesley Manville is Cyril, the sister of Reynolds.

Please watch the film before reading “Characters on the Couch” because the analysis might discourage you from drawing your own conclusions.

Since the above references offer such good reviews, let me just say that if you enjoy a subtle, quiet,  psychological drama that challenges you to understand the emotions involved, then

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Bicycles, COVID theme, Kanopy streaming, Love Story, Love Triangle, Low Key, Quiet, Talking Heads

Alone Together (2022)

From KANOPY:

Two strangers wind up double-booked in the same upstate New York rental during the start of quarantine. Exacerbating the situation, these polar opposite personalities must learn to cope with each other’s eccentricities ultimately realizing they have more in common than meets the eye.

From KANOPY you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute love story.

Looking for a relaxing, sweet romance story?  This “talking heads” film might be just what you are looking for.  Just listening to the growing rapport between June (Katie Holmes) and Charlie (Jim Sturgess) as they banter on into the night might not be  your bag. For some reason I was drawn into their conversations.

In the future when someone watches this film, will they possibly ask “What’s this COVID business?”

Give it a try. You might fall in love with the film.

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Bisexual theme, Brother-Sister relations, Cooking, Cooking and food, Could Be Sad, DIY Ending, Drama, English, Extramarital Affair, Failed Marriage, Family Conflict, German, Hebrew, Israeli culture, Jewish Religious Observance, Keeping Kosher, Love Story, Mother-son relations, Nudity, Quiet, Sex Scenes, Slow, Unhappy Marriage

The Cakemaker (2017)

From Kanopy:

Thomas, a young German baker, is having an affair with Oren, an Israeli married man who has frequent business visits in Berlin. When Oren dies in a car crash in Israel, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking for answers regarding his death. Under a fabricated identity, Thomas infiltrates into the life of Anat, his lover’s newly widowed wife, who owns a small Cafe in downtown Jerusalem. Thomas starts to work for her and create German cakes and cookies that bring life into her Cafe. Thomas finds himself involved in Anat’s life in a way far beyond his anticipation, and to protect the truth he will stretch his lie to a point of no return.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 50 minute complete film. Because the story takes place in Germany and Israel,  three languages are used: English, Hebrew, and German. English subtitles are provided.

Kanopy’s description is so complete that I need only say that the economy of dialog, the meaningful pauses at facial expressions, and the slow pace are essential components. Is it boring to watch Thomas slowly and painstakingly bake bread and cakes?  Instead are we not seeing his dogged, determined, accepting attitude toward life?

Warning: You will have to interpret the ending for yourself. Please let me know how you think things turned out.

Patience required for watching this worthwhile film that is not for everyone.

1987, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Art appreciation, Art History, Art Treasures, Basically Sad, British, British Drama, Church of England, Classic, Drama, Ethical struggles, Homophobia, Hopeless Love, Love Story, Old-Fashioned, PTSD, Quiet, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Sexual Tension, Slow, Small British village, Small gem of a film, Stuttering, Things Left Unsaid, Vintage Film, Wonderful acting, WWI Veteran, Yorkshire Accents, Yorkshire setting

A Month In The Country (1987)

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From Amazon Prime:

Five centuries ago, a mural was created in a country church in the north of England, and then hidden under layers of white paint. Looking at it again will be a distraction, the Reverend Mr. Keach tells World War I veteran Tom Birken, who will spend a month in the country restoring the mural.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this beautiful but sad classic British film which lasts 1 hour 36 minutes.

Direct quote from Wikipedia:

A Month in the Country is a 1987 British film directed by Pat O’Connor. The film is an adaptation of the 1980 novel of the same name by J. L. Carr, and stars Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh, Natasha Richardson and Patrick Malahide. The screenplay was by Simon Gray.

Set in rural Yorkshire during the summer of 1920, the film follows a destitute World War I veteran employed to carry out restoration work on a Medieval mural discovered in a rural church while coming to terms with the after-effects of the war.

The film was shot during the summer of 1986 and featured an original score by Howard Blake. The film has been neglected since its 1987 cinema release and it was only in 2004 that an original 35 mm film print was discovered, due to the intervention of a fan.

34 years ago Colin Firth and Kenneth Branagh were a mere 27 years old while Natasha Richardson was even younger at 24 years of age.  (Sad note: Richardson died in 2009 from a head injury while skiing.) Has Jim Carter, the head butler in Downton Abbey, always looked the same age his entire life?

For some reason the above quoted summaries fail to mention that the character James Moon (Kenneth Branagh) was also suffering PTSD from World War I.

BEAUTIFUL BUT SAD! (Gooseflesh anyone?)

2017, Abandoned child, Acceptable for teenagers, Drama, Drug Dealers, Drug trip, Drugs, Father-son relations, Kanopy streaming, Quiet, Slow, Small gem of a film, Small Town Atmosphere, Southern U.S. wilderness, Wonderful photography

Moss (2017)

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From Kanopy:

In this coming-of-age tale set in the American South, Moss is an isolated and troubled young man who embarks, on his eighteenth birthday, on an unexpected adventure never to be forgotten.

For Moss, whose mother died while delivering him, the day means freedom, especially from his father, whom Moss believes resents him for his very existence. However, it will take more than this milestone day to set him free. During a chance encounter with a woman fleeing her own heartache, the two escape into a psychedelic journey that teaches Moss lessons of life and loss.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 21 minute complete film.

Perhaps you should be smoking a joint while watching this photographic essay go dreamily on its way.  Sometimes the camera work seems clumsy,  but the film captures a piece of the South notable for raw, beautiful nature and the poverty of its inhabitants.  In this rush-rush age it is amazing to watch folk who are in no hurry, have no ambitions, and are content to smoke pot and just enjoy watching the day go by.

2016, Based on a Book, Basically Sad, Brother-Brother relations, Cancer theme, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, French, French Culture, Good Acting, Kanopy streaming, Medical Theme, Plot Twist, Quiet, Slow, Suicide, Things Left Unsaid

Le Fils de Jean [A Kid] (2016)

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From IMDB:

Mathieu has never known his father. His mother has always told him he was the fruit of a one-night-stand. One morning, in his Parisian flat, he receives a call from Quebec telling him his father just died. Mathieu decides to go to the funeral and meet the two Canadian brothers he just found out he had. In Montreal, nobody is aware of his existence, and Mathieu realizes he is in a hostile territory.

From Kanopy you can stream this quiet, understated, moving French film which lasts 1 hour and 38 minutes.

Let me again remind you that Kanopy is offered free by your local public library. Just google for “Kanopy”.  If you like older films, you will find them in Kanopy.

Hopefully you have streamed “Wonderland” from MHz Choice.  In that marvelous series Jérémy was played by the French actor Pierre Deladonchamps.  Confusingly enough, if you want to find Wonderland  in IMDB, you have to look for a film named “Romance” because looking for “Wonderland” will get you nowhere.

Deladonchamps plays Mathieu in “Le Fils de Jean”.   He and his supporting actors produce a sad and effective portrait of family confusion.  With very little violence (some minor scuffles) the story slowly moves toward probably the only conclusion it could reach.

Perhaps Deladonchamps is an actor to watch. Good film!

1998, Abandoned child, Abortion, Acceptable for teenagers, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Cold Cases, Conspiracy, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, False Imprisonment, Flashbacks, Frame someone for a crime, Harmful Medicine, Lawyers, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Murder Trial, Mystery Film, Old-Fashioned, Quiet, Romance, Small Town, Small Town Atmosphere, Unjust crime conviction, Vintage Film

Evidence of Blood (1998)

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From Amazon Prime:

An award winning author of stories of real crimes returns to his hometown where he becomes involved in a 40 year old case of a murdered teenager.
From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 49 minute complete film.
In 22 years film making has changed a great deal.  You know you are watching older film techniques when the tool available to distinguish between the film’s present and past is a change in the hue of the picture.  Another clue is that David Strathairn (who plays the author Jackson Kinley) was a young 49 years of age (and is now 78 years old).  Mary McDonnell  (who plays Dora Overton)  played Ruby Goldfarb  in Fargo.
Because his friend Ray dies, Kinley goes back to his home town, driven by a capital punishment case that never felt correct.  Little by little his dogged persistence finally discovers the truth. Along the way he brushes up against an elaborate town wide cover-up and riles up alot of the townsfolk.  Also he falls in love with Dora.
Note that Jackson does his work “by hand” so to speak. He doesn’t have modern tools such as DNA forensics. Dora doesn’t even have a telephone.  All stored data is on paper.  Was 1998 really that long ago?
Watching a vintage film in which Jackson slowly assembles the puzzle pieces  is not a waste of time.   And there is no violence.
2015, Acceptable for children, Acorn TV, Autobiographical, Based on a Book, Based on true facts, British, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Coming-of-age, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Feel Good For All, Husband leaves wife, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Nostalgia, Quiet, Romance, Senior citizens, Small British village, Small gem of a film, Teenagers, War Deserter, Wonderful photography, WWI

Cider With Rose (2015)

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From IMDB:

In 1918, with her husband working in the War office – and subsequently leaving the family – devoted mother Annie Lee takes her step-daughters and her own children to live in the idyllic Gloucestershire countryside, the youngest being the sickly Laurie, known as Loll. Here they witness two feuding matrons, Granny Trill and Granny Wallon and shelter a young army deserter hiding in the woods until his capture. At school Loll and his classmates are terrorized by the formidable teacher Crabby until hulking Spadge Hopkins literally puts her in her place. Far more important to Loll’s schooldays are the captivating Burdock sisters, Jo and Rosie, and, as he grows into adolescence and beyond, eventually leaving home to seek his fortune, he samples the delights of cider with Rosie.

From Acorn TV:

This beautifully shot, elegiac drama is a coming-of-age story set in a remote English valley post-WWI. Raised by his kindly mother (Samantha Morton, In America) among a pack of siblings, Laurie Lee experiences the wonders of love and friendship but also the brutality of loss and death. “Brilliant performances underpin a lyrical, languid, and poetic adaptation [of Lee’s memoir]” -The Telegraph.

From Wikipedia:

Cider with Rosie is a 1959 book by Laurie Lee (published in the US as Edge of Day: Boyhood in the West of England, 1960). It is the first book of a trilogy that continues with As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (1969) and A Moment of War (1991). It has sold over six million copies worldwide.

From Acorn TV you can stream this heart-warming 89 minute film.

Annie Lee, the mother, is played by Samantha Morton (Alpha in the 2019 The Walking Dead).  Granny Trill is played by Annette Crosbie (Clarice Millgrove in  Call the Midwife) whose face was immediately familiar to me even though at the time of filming she was 81 years old.

If you want a beautiful yet sad-at-times reproduction of WWI life in rural England from a century ago, DO NOT MISS!