CNN.com - Review: 'Moonlight Mile' shining success
Great performances, moving story
Paul Clinton (CNN Reviewer)
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(CNN) -- Every once in a great while, a film reaches out and moves you unexpectedly. "Moonlight Mile" is one of those films.
Set in New England in the early 1970s, this bittersweet film is about grieving parents left behind after their daughter has been murdered during a random crime. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Holly Hunter, and newcomer Ellen Pompeo in her studio film debut. It was written and directed by Brad Silberling ("City Of Angels"), who is well-acquainted with the subject matter: In 1989 his girlfriend, actress Rebecca Schaeffer (the TV series "My Sister Sam"), was killed by a stalker. She was 21.
This life-altering experience deeply affected him, and while this is not a film about Schaeffer, it is an exploration of the profound effect this type of sudden death can have on the loved ones of the victim.
"Moonlight Mile" is not, however, a slit-your-wrists, relentlessly dark and depressing film.
There are wonderful moments of humor, and demonstrations of humanity, strength, and the resilience of the human spirit. Sarandon is astounding in her measured performance as JoJo Floss, and Hoffman grabs one of his best roles in years as her husband Ben.
Their daughter, Diana, is already dead when the film begins. Gyllenhaal, who currently stars in "The Good Girl" with Jennifer Aniston, is terrific as Joe Nast, Diana's husband-to-be, who is staying with his would-be future in-laws when the murder takes place. He quickly finds himself drawn into the family's vortex of grief.
No rules
There are no rules for an experience such as this, and Silberling makes it clear there is no right or wrong way to grieve. What he ultimately achieves is an honest -- sometimes comedic -- depiction of loss that is stark, real and very specific in its unwavering honesty.
Joe desperately wants to do the right thing. His heartbreak over Diana's death pulsates, but he can't help but feel that he's operating on a different level of grief than Ben and JoJo. They, in turn, cling to him as a last visage of their daughter's promising future, which would have been full of life, marriage and children.
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The result is that Joe feels immobilized by the tragic events. He's unsure how long his fidelity to Diana's memory should last, and when it will be okay to continue with his life. He's completely confused about what to do, where to go, and what to make of his future and how.
In an odd way, his situation is reminiscent of Benjamin Braddock's situation -- Braddock being the character Hoffman played in "The Graduate" (1967). Everyone around Joe has helpful advice as to what his next step should be. You halfway expect someone to step up and whisper "plastics" in his ear.
JoJo uses dark humor to vent her feelings. She takes the position that her deep shock and mourning give her license to experience any and all of her emotions in a completely uncensored way. She's very demanding in an almost unconscious way. In one great scene, she's tossing into a fire numerous books about how to handle grief -- books given to her by well-meaning but somewhat clueless friends.
Ben laments, "They're suppose to be helpful." She snaps back, throwing one more book into the flames, "This is helpful."
Complex emotions
Ben reacts in a totally different way. He desperately wants to be a rock for JoJo, and for Joe. He deeply resents anyone in their small town who doesn't (in his estimation) share his pain. His grief escapes in sputtering spurts; he cannot cope with his daughter's death, and tries to replace her with Joe.
Against this background emerges the character of Bertie (Pompeo). She runs the local post office and is unsuccessfully dealing with the loss of her lover, who was killed in action in Vietnam (remember, this is the early 1970s). Love happens when you least expect it, and their feelings for each other greatly complicate a situation that is already almost impossible for Joe to navigate.
Hunter plays the prosecutor in the murder trial of Diana's accused killer. She pressures Joe to make Diana come alive for the jury, and be an example of Diana's lost future.
Silberling's direction is perfectly balanced as he guides his cast through their complex emotions. You almost feel he's been here before. (Of course, he has.) The film is a tribute to his lost love in other ways, too: the set for the Floss family residence is a duplication of the Schaeffer home, and Sarandon wears a watch owned by Rebecca's mother.
The honesty, the humor, and the unapologetic nature of the characters' reactions will stay with you long after you leave the theater. Sarandon, Hoffman and Gyllenhaal all give Oscar-worthy performances.
"Moonlight Mile" opens in limited release Friday and will gradually expand to more theaters. The film is rated PG-13.
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