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Saturday, 08 September 2007 |
  The independent film industry is virtually overrun with stories of children having to cope with addicted or otherwise abusive parents, typically leading to their own addictions. This is probably because an awful lot of young filmmakers seem to have no other motive than to tell the world what a difficult childhood they had. Most of them produce one movie which makes the film festival rounds, receives applause from plenty of sympathetic attendees, and are never heard from again. These movies often involve talented actors who are fully capable of earning roles in movies which pay much better, but are interested in applying their craft, as well as helping out an emerging filmmaker. The problem is, there are far too many (usually) young writer/directors who are so blinded by letting everyone know how difficult their life has been, they don't have any idea how to tell a compelling story. That is probably the main aspect Pure has going for it. Director Gillies MacKinnon is not a 24 year old film school grad, and he didn't write the story.
Talented Canadian actress Molly Parker plays Mel, a mother of two young boys who has found difficulty coping with the sudden death of her husband, turning to heroin to dull the pain. Her ten year old son Paul (Harry Eden) has been forced to take on the father role for both her and his younge brother, as Mel spends most of her time virtually unconscious. In his loneliness, Paul befriends a local waitress (Keira Knightley) who turns out to be nearly as bad an influence as Mel, but sometimes it takes bad influences to bring around necessary changes. In fact, Paul's life has no shortage of bad influences, but unlike to many movies of this type, he possesses some innate ability to ultimately understand who is actually looking out for his best interests.
It probably comes as no surprise that things in Paul's life go from bad, to worse, to borderline tragic. After all, that is what this type of movie does. Convention dictates that one of two things will happen. Either the tragedy to will continue, or it won't. What separates Pure from the multitude of mediocre also-rans is in how it happens and how it is handled. It begins with some tactful writing, extends to skilled direction and is brought home by some wonderfully skilled acting. One example is Knightley's final scene, which is disappointing on one hand, but affirming on the other. In the end however, the success of the entire movie boils down to one brilliant scene in which Paul stands alone, watching through a window, as a room full of adults, half of who he has never even met, decide his future. He can see their actions and expressions, but can't hear a word. The reactions from both Parker and Eden during this scene are priceless.
Through all but about the final 10 minutes of Pure, I felt I was just watching another of many Sundance breed stories. What propelled it beyond that in the end came down largely to that one scene. The fact is, this movie almost goes too far with the seemingly endless stream of rotten individuals Paul has thrust upon him. Fortunately, he also possesses enough sense to ultimately understand who is good for him and who isn't. Incidentally, even though Harry Eden, who plays Paul, is responsible for carrying most of the movie, it is Molly Parker who has the delicate task of being a rather habitually bad mother without completely alienating the audience. Both of them accomplish their tasks quite well.
An interesting side note regarding movie marketing involves the cover image from the Pure DVD in the US. It shows Keira Knightley featured prominently, even though she portrays a rather peripheral character. Molly Parker is featured less prominently, and Harry Eden, who portrays the main character, is barely visible in the background.
Starring: Harry Eden, Molly Parker, David Wenham, Keira Knightley, Kate Ashfield, Geraldine McEwan, Marsha Thomason.
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Studio: Little Wing films
Rated: R
Running Time: 96 minutes
Release: 2002
Reviewer: John Rice |
