galasius

To a viewer unfamiliar with the past works of Annette Bening and (Sir) Ben Kingsley, one might think they were terrible actors based solely on Mrs. Harris.

The performances by Bening and Kingsley seemed over emphasized and over acted. Knowing their abilities, I can only assume that their performance style was intentional and is integral to the story. With that in mind, I have a very different appreciation for Mrs. Harris than I would have as a 'first-time' viewer of Bening and Kingsley.

The film took on an almost bad 'made-for-TV' docu-drama feel - again, I hope and expect this was an intentional move by newcomer screenwriter/director Phyllis Nagy.

This isn't another Being Julia, American Beauty, or Sexy Beast, but if you're a Bening and/or Kingsley fan, check it out. I suspect you'll draw the same conclusions that I did regarding the performance style and it's meaning.

I guess the biggest question left after seeing this film was 'what was it trying to be'? Was it trying to be Indiana Jones? Was it trying to be The Matrix? Was it trying to be Crouching Tiger? Was it trying to be Ben Hur? Was it trying to be Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure? Unfortunately, I don't think the producers and Stanley Tong asked that question, let alone answered it, before they started shooting The Myth.

The overall plot concept had some promise - I've seen far worse stories that translated into enjoyable film viewing experiences. Unfortunately for The Myth, some of the best plot aspects were underutilized (Indian temple, anyone?).

For me, the highlight of the film was five minutes of comic relief during a fight scene in a rat glue paper factory - yes, "rat glue paper".... The rest more-or-less wrote itself, but it was amusing.

The visual effects ranged from excellent (the final levitating mausoleum), to what looked like a high-school visual arts project gone wrong - very inconsistent production values with respect to the visual effects.

Based on the novel by Corrine Hofmann, this is the incredible true story of a woman from Switzerland who pursues and eventually marries a Masai warrior in Kenya.

The story itself is riveting, made more impressive and captivating as it is based in fact.

The film contains three languages - German, English, and Maa. But even with this mix of language, the subtitles (which were unfortunately quite poorly done) weren't even a real necessity as so much of the story is so clearly communicated without the need for language.

German director Hermine Huntgeburth expertly captured the beauty and culture of this part of the world.

This by far wasn't the 'biggest' gala presentation at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, but it left the fortunate audience captivated by the story and the visual beauty.

Definitely worth checking out.