I haven't watched "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" yet. I am excited to, but my schedule (and the availability at Redbox) hasn't allowed for it. My wife and I did, however, pick up Emilio Estevez's "The Way".
We were both impressed.
It had a quiet power akin to "Lost in Translation". I was absorbed by the story of a man's journey to find the relationship with his estranged (and now dead) son. It made me acutely aware of my own troubled relationship with my father and how fragile these relationships can be.
In terms of writing, well, I don't know what to say. There are rules (more like commandments really) of show, don't tell. I'm not sure how it applies to this film. In today's more mainstream and even indie environment, there are often extremes. Perhaps that isn't fair. It's just- It seems everything has to be large, over-the-top, or blatantly stated.
I must admit, I haven't been watching enough recent releases to perhaps justify that statement, but it seems to me, even a film like "The Descendants", which I liked, for the most part, went for something overly dramatic. The comatose mother/wife. The revelation of an affair. All make for "loud" dramatic performances. (Again, I liked them.) But what if there is no affair? What if there is no body to yell at? (That happened more than once in The Descendants.) What if there is only a journey?
I would have told you, it can't be done.
And Emilio Estevez would prove me wrong.
Every once in a great while there is one of those films that do more than wow me. Every once in a while there is a film that touches something within me. "The Way" is one of those films.
And I think the main reason is he didn't try too hard. He didn't go crazy with the humorous moments. The dramatic moments are not filled with actors chewing up the scenery.
Quiet. Sincere. Honest. That's it. My hat's off to him.
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