Wake

In a dilapidated old farmhouse in Maine an elderly lady lies dying while her solicitous son looks on. He is soon joined by his three brothers and a dark tale of violence and perversion ensues! The house reeks of decay and death and so do the boys as they squabble over missing money, ancient crimes, long hidden secrets. The tensions among them are utterly believable even as every attempt to reach some resolution just unearths another mystery. The viewers' loyalty shifts from one brother to another as each in turn progresses from sympathetic to monstrous; from victim to predator.

The cast is universally excellent and the script and direction would do David Lynch proud! The story is rich enough to reward multiple viewings and is a perfect example of why we need independent productions like this so desperately; it actually makes you think all the way through!

This is not a movie that you sit down, watch quietly and then forget about. I just wish to clarify this now. Animated discussions amongst my friends were abound following the screening of this film and to date they are continuing.

I saw this film in the presence of a group of friends, however whilst watching, was unaware of their proximity. From the beginning I was drawn in to the story and remained as such until the credits began to roll.

The film focuses on the relationship between four brothers who, although obviously connected, are of different personalities and spheres of existence. We see into their psyches for brief moments and come to understand their places within the family and the world in which they have carved their niche.

All the actors perform superbly and with a fluidity that enhances the subtext of the dialogue. In particular, Gale Harold (of Showtime's Queer as Folk), in an inspired performance, conveys the vulnerability of his character openly and sometimes, heartbreakingly to the audience.

The director, producer and editor of this movie have much to be proud of, as unlike most films nowadays, all the answers are not displayed to the audience with neon lights flashing. They are carefully hidden within the storyline and camera angles. This aura of mystery seeps through to the audience who find themselves captivated and curious, empathizing with the characters through their own experiences and needing to know how it will all end.

This is a film that I could watch more than once, knowing that new feelings and insights could be gained with each viewing. My only wish... to view this movie again.

I saw the movie at the Queens International Film Festival. I thought it was excellent - atmospheric, beautifully photographed (though the digital projection at the festival was a bit dark), well edited, superbly acted across the board, and (this was an added bonus) well scored. The movie begins with Landau's voiceover (we see him as he types) writing a story of the flashback events. I must say, the prose in his bookend scenes was a bit flowery, and even contained an obvious pronoun error (in fact, I believe there's a moment in later dialogue when Blake Gibbons's grammar is corrected by Dihlon McManne, and McManne - the younger version of Landau - is wrong then too). Finch's script was much better in the the more important departments of dialogue, character, plot, pacing, etc., where it was truly fine.

The premise is that one of four brothers, an escaped con (Raymond), has chosen the family house to rendezvous with his accomplice brother Jack (who brings along a couple of party girls for the road) and abscond with some ill-gotten money. They happen to arrive on the night that the eldest - Sebastian - plans to euthanise their cancer-ridden mother with drugs he has persuaded the youngest brother Kyle to supply. All the acting was wonderful (and it helped that the parts were uniformly wonderful). The characters were each dysfunctional in different ways. The brother who has stayed with the mother to hold it all together (Dihlon McManne) is a weakling; Jack (John Philbrick) is an amoral, sadistic loser; Raymond (Blake Gibbons) is caught between good and evil, a cunning but stupid con man with both a genuine family affection and a sadistic, controlling, larcenous streak.

Kyle, the youngest (Gale Harold) is really the strongest of the four (he has quit alcohol and drugs and holds a job), and the best (he never quite gets away from his best instincts, whatever the provocation). He's also the most damaged (Raymond comes in second). He is haunted by the horrific family past, and he take prescription drugs - apparently to deal with some form of schizophrenia. As the haunted one, he experiences terrible flashbacks brought on by the appearance of Raymond and Jack. It's a very dark film, but very compelling. You have to pay attention to it, and that makes it a real moviegoing experience, where the dark theatre and absence of distractions keep you intent on it. I would really recommend that your first exposure to it be in a theatre rather than on TV or a DVD (unless you watch the DVD on your hard drive from your computer chair).

I want to mention finally that the music by Henry LeRoy Finch and Chris Anderson is very good and atmospheric, and that it is augmented by some original songs by a folksinger/songwriter named Ramsey Midwood, with whom I am not familiar. I have made a note to myself to look for an album of his, because the songs were terrific. Very literate folk songs, a bit like Tom Waits's stuff. I have only one quibble, apart from the flowery prose of the elder Sebastian (McManne/Landau), which is that I didn't need the early exteriors of Raymond and Kyle on their way to the house. I already knew the brothers were coming, and it would have been better to see McManne going about his routine, and get more of a sense of how isolated he was there with the uncommunicative, dying mother. However, the footage of Gale Harold tearing down wooded roads on his motorcycle is something some of you may be glad to see.

How is Gale Harold? Excellent technically, as is everybody - especially Blake Gibbons - but he brings to it all the depth and complexity he brings to everything else. And though he's a mess, and gets messier, there just isn't any way to keep him from being beautiful. And that works for the script, because Kyle has a goodness that none of this ghastly family has ever quite been able to kill, and that at least two of his brothers recognize and, in their own ways, cherish. John Philbrick's Jack is the most unredeemed and unsympathetic, but not the scariest. That's Blake Gibbons's Raymond, who is alternately scary, appalling, and strangely sympathetic. I don't agree with the previous contributor that the Raymond character ought to have been the center of the film, however. He's interesting at all times, but Gale Harold's character is one of those doomed angels - deeply damaged by past events that Blake Gibbons's Raymond doesn't even seem to remember very well. And Harold is simply hypnotic in the part.

Dark, intense, brooding, with a little black humour. I liked this for the way it left so many things ambiguous, and didn't feel the need to spell everything out. We get just enough backstory to understand the gist of the brothers' issues with each other and their past. As the audience, we're left to put things together in a way that works for us, which is challenging without being frustrated. The dark underlying tension between the brothers feels menacing, but the dysfunction, shared history, and unresolved issues are universal for anyone with siblings or a family. This is Gale Harold's best non-QAF work. He and Blake Gibbons both shine as two brothers who are polar opposites, or perhaps the complementary yin and yang of this particular unhappy family.

A very dark, haunting movie but excellent acting, especially by Gale Harold and Blake Gibbons. The four brothers in this dysfunctional family collide by circumstance and the story's spiral downward flow is brilliantly brought about by the superb acting. Lavish sets and locations are not necessary and not missed as the whole pivotal story centres around the childhood home of Jack, Kyle, Sebastian and Raymond. The story is told by the older Sebastian, as portrayed by Martin Landau. A must-see for Gale Harold fans. My mind definitely didn't wander off throughout the whole movie. The range of emotions portrayed is riveting and the actors must have gone home drained. Excellent music score and directing.