Red Dirt

I saw this film in New York after reading a good review in "The Village Voice." Like the film, I was raised in Mississippi and it seems that way too often Southern depictions lack the sense of place that is so much a part of life there. With this film, the thick air is not missing. You could clearly taste its presence here. It was wonderful to see it portrayed in a way that had the courage to be slow.

Karen Black was amazing, and her performance should have really received attention from the Academy. I know that her past work has included many fine Southern roles, including perhaps most notably in "Five Easy Pieces" and Altman's "Back to the Five and Dime" but truly this had to be the performance that really showcases her talents and the blindness of Hollywood. Are people crazy? Why don't we see more of the legendary Karen Black!

The look of the film is outrageous (as is the Soundtrack.) Very much like a painting.

I was also not surprised to find that the director was from Mississippi as well. I am just amazed that this is his first feature. There are subtle pieces of culture, cleverly tucked here and there, that I really got tickled at.

This film is not for everyone. It is not an action packed, violence drowned, produced piece of garbage. "Red Dirt" is a quiet, little gem that reminds me of home. And of the power of stories about real people and the complicated lives we can create within them. It is a film that could have easily slipped by me, but I am truly glad that it didn't.

While I do agree with many of the comments others had on the subject they have little affect on the overall impact of the film. Even the actors accents which all sound different - a cross between Australian and Bostonian and are often labored become less obstructive as the plot progresses.

Some would probably have liked this film to be more overtly gay or a Cinderella feel or the very least more nudity, might mask their disappointment by nitpicking about the pitfalls of the story,dialogue, characters and technicals. That's the only reason I can see for this film getting such a low rating and the ranting by some.

I don't disagree with many of the other comments made on the technicals of the filming, editing or characterization, but I was not disappointed in the end by any means nor do I think any of these technical drawbacks ruin one of the best love stories I've ever seen.

"Red Dirt" is not quite like any film –independent or otherwise – to have come out in some time. Some seem to have been disappointed that this wasn't a great southern "romance" either straight or gay and others seem to have been unable to connect with the characters.

While the premise is easily recognizable and perhaps, predictable even, what Purvis did was take a standard situation - and give it a spin all its own with fresh, inviting characters.

I feel Mr. Purvis captures perfectly a small town in the deep South. Deadly silence punctuated by birds, wolves, crickets, locust, rain. Then there are the crazy southern women (all 4 women in this showed signs of madness) always with deeply hidden and long held secrets. All of these women exhibit a wondrously wide (and wild) range of emotions from instability to madness to wise.

One of the most touching elements of the film was the bonding connection between Emily and Aunt Summer, with Em's final "goodbye" an arrestingly beautiful film moment.

The gay repression angle works perfectly here, both men quiet about it, but Griffith actually socially naïve and stunted enough into thinking what is going on between he and Lee is strictly friendship. His unhinging and rage were moving.

Comments about Karen Black's being "all over the place" are correct, but this is not a bad thing. Her character is just that – emotionally unstable, a lifetime of guilt over her secret which is what is driving her mad. We see that pent up madness within her coming out in her dramatic loony-tune sequences and her escape into music makes perfect sense.

To those who complained about a lack of romantic ending, I can't imagine a more classically "romantic" then this; rage, revelation and confusion subsiding into sadness, forgiveness, self-awareness and acceptance . . . as the sun streams down on a glorious southern evening.

Physically, as well, this is a stunning film, the photography breathtaking, the colors vivid and true.

I did not, quite honestly, expect to enjoy this film at all. Instead I found myself drawn in, touched watching these self-imposed alienated characters trying to connect with another human, and ultimately I found myself deeply moved.

p.

This film is getting a lot of (-) comments, and I can see their point of view, BUT, it's better than the're saying. True it's slow moving, but that captures the essence of the story. These are frightened and careful people, trapped in a backwater, and, though unstated, the brutality of Conservative Christian bigotry has great influence on their behavior. The love between the two guys didn't come from nowhere: from the first time they saw each other there was an electric current between them. The shower scene was almost explicit: Griffith COULDN'T KEEP HIS EYES OFF LEE!!!!. and the gay shop-keeper knew instantly there was something. And while the ending was overtly disappointing, I believe that, down the road (pun intended) they're going to get together. Acting was mostly good, but Walton Goggins was HOTTTTT. Watch him on "The Shield" and see what a good actor he is. All in all, I enjoyed the film, but WHAT WAS that short on the DVD?

This film is as slow as turning a nearly-empty bottle of molasses on its side, and watching it run down for two hours; a real waste of time.

Despite its beautiful photography and numerous outdoor scenes, there is a constant claustrophobic feel, probably due to the small cast; it has a wierd "inbred" feeling. The characters don't seem like they are part of their surroundings. Whenever Karen Black is on the screen, its like she is pulling energy out of everything around her.

Its not really a "gay" film - the characters certainly don't consider themselves gay; there is no male-male sex (but some straight sex scenes). The sudden claims of male love come out of nowhere, and just aren't very believable. There is potential dynamite in the sub-text of a man and a woman competing for the affections of the lead male character, but it never catches fire here. The ending appears to be trying for some kind of "nobility of denial" as the characters avoid acting on their feelings, but it never really resolves.

No doubt this film has great personal resonance for the film-maker, and presumably for other rural Southern gay guys stuck on farms (who are unlikely to know it exists!). Ultimately its a not particularly interesting failure. I think that the film-maker just pulled too many punches, and either couldn't or wouldn't make the film this could have been.