mswseashore

Just like The Deer Hunter, American Pastoral vividly portrays the impact the tumultuous 60's had on ordinary American Society. This film features great acting all around and never asks for sympathy as each of the main characters reacts independently of the realities of political change. I would have liked to have seen a better soundtrack but maybe it was left out for a reason. Music tends to categorize action in a film and like the Deer Hunter, the impact of the 60's was so pervasive, maybe the music would have deterred from the reality. I read the book in college and I have to say the film did justice to Roth's warnings. This film is very reflective of today's division in American politics.

This film is not just a serial killer on the loose in a small town but rather a film about a small hamlet isolated from the noise of the modern world, demonstrated nicely with the turning on and off of the radio, until a murder threatens to undo their moral fabric. Brigham City is a community in every sense; they worship together, they look out for each other, they help each other on moving day. People don't lock their doors. Ironically it is their Sheriff/Pastor who has experienced the pain of tragedy and he tries desperately to keep the community from experiencing the same. The director does a nice job of highlighting suspects and creating tension without making obvious who the perpetrator is. This is one of the few films where religion is prominent without an agenda. This is an enjoyable murder mystery which is so sophisticated relative to crime porn. The lack of visual violence, which I usually like, was refreshingly absent.