Aurora Borealis

While at the Tri Be Ca Film Festival last week, I luckily happened into a screening of "Aurora Borealis" and left the theatre in tears and awe by the sheer range of humanity expressed in this film. When the movie ended I was upset because I wanted to keep following the life of Duncan. His character had captivated me with his honesty, innocence and good hearted approach to the world. The main character could be any one of us, lost in this world, looking for some meaning in our lives. A good soul, but without direction since his dad died mysteriously ten years earlier and no mother in the picture, Josh Jackson plays a young man trying to find himself as he floats from job to job until finds work in his grandparents' apartment building as an assistant to the super. There he befriends the residents of this "retirement" home and finds himself deeply entwined with the life struggle of his ailing, Alzheimer's afflicted grandfather, played brilliantly by Donald Sutherland. Louise Fletcher is perfect as the physically healthy, level headed, yet frustrated spouse to Sutherland's ornery and belligerent senior citizen. Every scene with Sutherland is exquisite and sad, yet beautiful, as he forces us to face our own mortality and that of our aging parents and grandparents. Jackson's character is seen as a failure by his financially successful, but fidelity-challenged brother and by his boyhood buddies with the usual jobs of twenty-somethings. Duncan shines, however, as he reluctantly, yet dutifully and lovingly cares for his needy grandfather all the while falling for his grandfather's nurse, played sweetly by Juliet Lewis. The direction and photography are beautiful with wonderful shots of Minneapolis/St. Paul and the film moves with a perfect pace. The score is incredible throughout, but the opening Bob Dylan song was amazing and is still playing in my head as an accompaniment in my life.

I had never seen Joshua Jackson before. What a talent, and what a nice surprise. His is a masterful performance of a young man turning the corner from being mired in his thinking to one who awakens before our eyes. This cast is absolutely perfect, from Juliette Lewis' free spirit, to Louise Fletcher's supportive, but somewhat helpless grandmother, to an absolute, don't-miss-this Oscar performance by Donald Sutherland as the aging grandfather whose illness is getting the best of him. Roger Ebert & Richard Roeper have talked about their hope Sutherland gets another good role, because he's such a fine actor. This is the role, this is the year, and I hope the world discovers this little gem of a movie in the glut of big studio releases and marketing. It's rated R for language, but it's barely an R. Because of the discussion of suicide, it's really just a PG-13. Find this movie. You'll have to look for it, because it's being released in the small indie art house market. It should be in every multiplex in America.

This is a great film, very moving as well as funny. I got a chance to see it at its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, 2005. Donald Sutherland and Louise Fletcher are extraordinary as the grandparents. I didn't realize how much I had missed seeing them act. Personally I think it's the best thing I've seen Josh Jackson do, and I plan to buy the soundtrack if it gets released. The director is James Burke - I've not seen any of the other movies he directed but he's really good. The pacing seemed just right, he did a great job casting the major parts and I felt he got a lot out of the secondary actors as well. I think it's miscast as a family picture by Tribeca - it's much better and edgier than the standard family fare and there's language use and sexuality not always appropriate for the under 13 crowd. Please note that my 12 year old son saw it with me and loved it. I just had the urge to cover his eyes twice but I resisted. :-)

I saw this film at the Watefront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan. Directed by James Burke, the film is about unemployable Duncan Shorter (played by Joshua Jackson, making an impressive break from his usual teen and college aimed roles) who gets a new job as a handyman so he can be near his grandparents Ronald and Ruth (Donald Sutherland and Louise Fletcher). Juliette Lewis plays Kate, the home assistant of the grandparents, helping Ronald deal with his Alzheimer's disease. Duncan and Kate meet and quickly form a relationship. Set in the winter of Minnesota, the film is a touching story about a man trying to cope with the death of his father and trying to break free from his fears of the past, present, and future.

I really enjoyed this movie, the acting was wonderful. Donald Sutherland gives a heartbreaking performance as the deteriorating grandfather, it's not over the top, it's just true and believable, proving again why he is one of the greatest actors working today. It's nice to see Louise Fletcher in this giving another one of her great role, even if she doesn't get much screen time. Juliette Lewis also does a nice job, even though it does seem like a typical Lewis performance. And I really enjoyed Joshua Jackson, this is the first adult role I've seen him play and was very impressed. I'm really looking forward to seeing Jackson's future roles, now that I know he has this kind of range.

Overall, it was a nice film, worth watching just for the performances. I wish everybody involved with the making of it the best of luck.

I saw this at the West Los Angeles screening last September. Since I was feeling a little homesick for Minneapolis, I decided to take a flyer and shell out $10 to see it. My expectations weren't that high since Mr. Dawson's Creek, Joshua Jackson, was one of the leads.

Little did I realize that Joshua Jackson would be brilliant in this movie. As good as Joshua Jackson performed, Donald Sutherland turned in one of the best performances by any actor. This movie doesn't beat you over the head with a stick, it's much more subtle than the current schlock that passes for cinema these days! Juliette Lewis plays against type, but does it so well. You actually care about the characters. This is one of the best crafted films of 2006! The only flaw I see in this movie is the lack of distribution. I've told my friends across the country that this is a "must see" movie and only those in MN have been fortunate enough to see it. There are so few well made films, something needs to be done to increase Aurora's exposure!