The Driftless Area - Nichts ist wie es scheint

This is one of those films that should be watched two or three times to catch everything that is happening in this story. I will not attempt to relate the plot line here. My advice is to listen to the philosophical statements many of the characters speak during the movie. That is key in understanding whats happening just above the obvious.

Anton Yelchin as 'Pierre' finds himself, on his return to his hometown, caught between the real world and the metaphysical world and a murder. Human desire and action - is it impulsive or predetermined? What controls our life - lust for material gain and if so what effect does that have on the next life? Maybe I'm reading way too much into this film but I found it entertaining and thoughtful. The murder for profit eventually comes to the surface and Pierre's fate hangs by a thread. There is mystery and action enough to keep the casual viewer entertained.

Life after death? Or rather drifting around after it? Does the movie deliver answers to some questions it has or rather the viewer will have? Probably not might be the right answer. The performances are great all around. Especially with the weird dialog that takes place throughout the movie.

So if you are into weird, not easily explained (if at all) things happening and watching them unfold, dialog that either is on the nose or very subtle and not telling at all, you may have found the right movie for you. Towards the end there may a bit more action than some would like, but the true ending is "making up" for that ... if you don't like that though, than it will break the movie for you. You should see it coming though, not just because what I used as summary line ...

This film tells the story of a young man who is in love with a victim of arson. He finds a bag of cash, and his life becomes complicated because the crooks who own the cash come after him in the quiet small town.

The plot summary sounds interesting on paper, but unfortunately the film is not at all interesting. It feels like a bunch of incomplete jigsaw pieces being forced together. I don't quite care for any of the characters, even Zooey Deschanel's character who is a victim of arson. There's no thrill suspense even when crooks hunt Pierre down. Events in the film are muted, and the film is pretty uneventful and non happening. There's no connection between the characters themselves or with the viewers. What is the point of the story? I find it boring and forgettable.

Why this title? It is the location, the Driftless Area is a region in the upper American Midwest that escaped the flattening effects of glaciation during the last ice age and is consequently characterized by steep, forested ridges, deeply carved river valleys, and geology characterized by spring-fed waterfalls and cold-water trout streams. But it was filmed in Canada.

The story is not as easy to explain, it involves a young man, a bartender, attempting to grasp the meaning of space and time and possible parallel universes. Then there is the young lady who accidentally gets burned up in an arson fire. But she walks away nude past the oncoming firefighters. Then there's the robbery, the truck crash, the search to find and recover the loot.

It really has an all-star cast, the story bits are woven together very well in an interesting and often funny manner. I find the movie to be a bit better than its IMDb rating suggests. Young Yelchin met an untimely accidental death not too long after this movie.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library.

I compare this movie to Fargo tv series because both have a similar premise, of an innocent man/couple caught up in local level organised crime. That aspect of the movie is very clever. It's very indie though, with lots of folksy modern tunes underpinning the rather laconic action sequences and drama. It's also a rather cool and careful love affair, and even one of the criminals has a bit of a similar affair, underlining what looks like an intended irony. As such it's intelligently put together, a well-written script and story inspired by a novel. If you look to the special features 'making of' on the dvd, you'll see various cast and crew struggling with how to describe it. Noir is mentioned a couple of times. Perhaps that's worth noting, as this is a sufficiently unusual piece to hold some pride in itself. I'd describe it as picturesque, and that would apply to the careful (but not sweeping) cinematography as well. There's an important spiritual side, which could have been treated with a little less slap dash. To explain, certain ideas are presented as fait accompli, and, to my mind, should have been given more spooky for the audience to willingly run with it. Granted though, don't turn to this one if looking for an action film to thrill. Look to it if you like young love, good writing and interesting character study. Great actors here, and well worth a look on a Saturday afternoon.