Empty Spaces

There's a certain subtlety to the main actor's performance as his character goes through life pretending everything is o.k., saying he's fine when really he is not. It's the sort of thing you will only pick up on if you've been through it yourself.

He's trying to keep it together for his kids, but he doesn't know quite how to proceed with his life now that his wife has left him and so much has changed. That's where the title comes from. He has "empty spaces" in his daily routine because he has forgotten how to live without his partner.

But everything is not o.k. like he wants it to be and things gradually begin to deteriorate, leading to a psychotic episode involving a garbage disposal. Other than that, he only verbally hints once or twice at the fact that he is suffering inside. Men don't really like to talk about things like that, and this one is no exception. Instead he does what so many of us have done in his situation: he drinks and he drinks.

There's no big climax or clear resolution here and the future for these characters is left open-ended and somewhat ambiguous, as is so often the case in real life. The audience isn't left with hope or a happy ending or anything like that, or maybe they are depending on what they choose to take away from it. I suggest you watch it twice, because the second time around you just might pick up on a few things you missed the first time.

Empty Spaces is not a "family" film in the way that Bambi or Lassie are family films. Rather, it is a film about a family, starring a real-life family, and, from what I can tell, produced by a family. There are no big special effects, but rather an honest and up-close look at some dysfunctional lives. Don't watch this one with the kids (there's cursing and innuendo) unless of course you want them to get a look at some real life situations. Maybe it would do them some good. Apart from that, the film is very well-made from a technical standpoint, despite the obviously modest budget. It is not a documentary or a home movie, but it does incorporate what appears to be real home movies of the main actors as children, which is an added bonus. The real treat here is the special dynamic shared by the real-life brothers, which really gives their characters added layers of depth and believability, and which certainly makes them far more interesting to watch. In my eyes, they do it better than Luke and Owen Wilson ever could.

The beauty in this film lies in both its simplicity and its sheer realism. It tells a seemingly straightforward story about a man at a turning point in his life, his actions and feelings and how they affect those around him. The camera lingers on the actors long after most directors would have called "cut!" And the story is all the better for it. We see those in-between moments, and at times the angst and the emotion feels all too real. There are no metaphors in real life, and it's the same in this film. It feels almost like a documentary, and you start to wonder if the people on the screen are really even acting, or just living out their lives while we watch.

This "movie" is very beautiful from a purely visual standpoint and interesting for that reason alone. It may be worthwhile to watch it with the sound off just to enjoy the stunning cinematography. There are some truly fascinating shots. However, that is the only thing I enjoyed about this film. The story was confusing and went nowhere. Who are these people? Are they brothers? Why was one of them burying money in the wilderness? I have so many questions and none of them were answered. I like for a movie to wrap up all the loose end in the final act and answer all of the viewer's questions. This one did not. Instead it only raised more questions, and I found it frustrating for that reason. It reminded me of a weird European art film or a David Lynch movie, so if you're into that sort of thing you may enjoy this, but it was not for me. I give it 2 stars out of 10 for the story only because there were one or two funny parts, and I give it 10 stars out of 10 for the wonderful cinematography. That averages out to 6 stars out of 10. Thank you and goodnight.

OK, so I will get this out of way and say that yes, this film does have some audio issues, but they are small and forgivable, and so did "Come and See," which is nonetheless considered a masterpiece. So we can move past that. Now, very often I overhear people talking about a film with a heart, which is to say that it moved them in some way. Well "Empty Spaces" is a film with a brain like no other that I've seen in a long time. It does not dumb anything down for the audience, but at the same time it tells a simple story. The brothers don't call each other "brother," and if we don't figure it out on our own then we simply don't figure it out. Nothing gained, nothing lost, just as it should be. And yet the plot is so simple, in fact, that it turns out to be exceedingly clever in its simplicity. It pulls no punches, as the saying goes. Unfortunately, I do not believe that many other viewers, not ever those who enjoyed this film, understood its entire meaning. It is such a unique viewing experience that most were undoubtedly caught up in the novelty of the thing. Truly, the director never cuts away from the action (or inaction) of the main character, when literally any other director would. It may come across as slow or boring to some, but it is in fact hypnotic. There is so much subtext in what is left unsaid. I have seen this film three times, and each time it is a different film, because each time I pick up on something new. It is truly fascinating.