Coastlines

'Coastlines' is a film that draws you in with superb character development. It takes a methodical approach allowing the players on screen plenty of space to grow their characters. Through the first parts of the film I was riveted; not by flashy Hollywood gimmicks, but through the purity of each actor's performance and their course through the story.

The progression through the middle of the film maintains this steady hand, and we are introduced to branching story lines which keeps the viewer guessing at what's coming next. Is this a revenge film? Is it a story about friendship, or perhaps a story of betrayal? It never becomes clear as to what 'type' of movie you're watching, and this leads to a sense of anticipation as the film is rarely predictable.

I was waiting for some kind of dramatic conclusion near the end, or more appropriately, I was pondering what judgments the film would make on the morality of its characters. 'Coastlines' never makes any bold statements to this effect, however, besides perhaps the thematic allusions to unconditional love. The story takes a foray into complex adult themes without finding a coherent resolution, and I feel this was the bridge too far for 'Coastlines'.

If you are a patient viewer who appreciates the nuances of finely wrought character development then I encourage you to see this film... and draw your own conclusions.

Victor Nunez is on par with a lot of directors who use their surroundings as their muse. Like Scorcese with New York, Mann with L.A., or Shamalyan with Pennsylvania, Nunez builds his stories around an area he knows well: east coast Florida. His masterpiece "Ulee's Gold" used the enchanting backdrop of Orlando's peaceful outskirts to build on the emotional aspects of its main character Ulee. The movie came alive from Nunez's subtle, but powerful focus on atmosphere, character nuance and rich symbolism.

It's disappointing that his follow-up "Coastlines" (which completes his "Panhandle Trilogy") had some of those elements in tact, but failed to use them effectively. The story is about a young man named Sonny (played by a well-cast Timothy Olyphant) who gets released from prison to a home town that has grown up without him. He gets back in touch with his old friend Dave, who is now a police officer and married to Sonny's old crush Ann. Simultaneously, he deals with unsettled issues from his old mobbed-up employers.

From that story come some potentially engaging themes like revenge, jealousy, nostalgia, disenchantment and betrayal. However, disappointment quickly sets in when the scenes become more and more dull. The screenplay was written before "Ulee's Gold," and is extremely similar, with many characters and back stories almost exactly mirroring those of the previous film. "Coastlines" brings nothing new to the table, and has no energy with the subject matter at hand. As the movie moves on, it becomes hard to shake the feeling that Nunez had run out of inspiration.

What the movie lacks despite energy is originality. The movie contains plenty of drama, but there is nothing happening that hasn't been done better in other movies. What Nunez needed, in order to transcend the clichés, was the rich undertones and subtexts that made "Ulee" so engrossing. Nunez needed another layer of depth to give weight to all the things going on in his story.

There is no doubt that Victor Nunez is an excellent independent director. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that "Coastlines" is a movie that simply didn't need to be made.

This movie seems to be in commercial release finally, and you should see it. It is a companion to Ruby in Paradise and Yulee's Gold, both by Victor Nunez, and has most of their virtues (and drawbacks, maybe -- for example, I don't like the sound design choices that have been made in any of these movies....).

The languid feel of the coastal towns from Carabelle to Apalachicola (Florida) is well evoked -- though the story could, I suppose, happen most anywhere. The three lead actors are all outstanding.

Many of the locales in which the film is set look very different today, after hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Dennis (2005), not to mention further commercial development.

I am so glad that I found this movie! I agree with reviewer ejlabolton that this is an "unexpected treat".

I became a fan of Timothy Olyphant after watching Hit-man and Justified. So I started trying to watch all of his movies. This one is excellent.

I don't know why this is not more well known or more highly rated. The acting is good, the story is believable and the ending is perfect. I don't want to give away any of the plot so won't go into details, but the characters seem real and draw you in to their lives.

This film is a real gem and I hope more people can find it and enjoy it as much as I did.

I was in this movie, and I am terribly disappointed it is not available to the public-- not just because I am in it, but because it is well acted, written, and directed. Victor Nunez was lauded for his other works... why not for this one?