|
Starring:
Janet McTeer, Kimberly J. Brown, Gavin O'Connor, Jay O. Sanders,
Lois Smith Directed by: Gavin O'Connor Written by: Gavin O'Connor
and Angela Shelton Based On the Story by Angela Shelton Rated
PG-13, for language, sensuality, and a scene of domestic discord
Running Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes Released by Fine Line Features
At
the opening of "Tumbleweeds," we are thrust into the middle
of a domestic war being waged complete with furniture flying
and vicious verbal assaults... "Hit me right here! Right here
where my lawyer can see it!" A young mother and her child
pack only what they can carry, board their car and head out
on the open road. "Do you want to go to Arizona?" the mother
asks, to which her daughter shakes her head. "Where do you
want to go?" she asks. The daughter's response? "I want to
go to sleep. I'm tired of being in the car."
In
a lesser movie, a sequence like that would lie somewhere in
the middle, but director Gavin O'Connor wisely uses it as
the setup, letting the audience in on what they need to know
about these characters; they've been going around this cycle
for a while now, and it's beginning to take its toll. Something
has to give.
"Tumbleweeds"
is a movie written, directed, and acted with such authenticity
that the participants aren't reenacting the story as much
as living it. It is based on the childhood memories of co-writer
Angela Shelton, and is as intimate a portrayal of a mother/daughter
relationship as any I've seen.
The
movie stars Janet McTeer as Mary Jo Walker, a free-spirited
single mother whose twelve year-old daughter Ava (Kimberly
J. Brown) is growing tired of being dragged from city to city
as her mother tries landing the one man who will make everything
complete. Their situation soon leads them to Starlight Beach,
California. Ava immediately enrolls in school, and her plucky
personality garners the attention and friendship of her classmates.
Mary Jo finds a job at a security company and things seem
to be running smoothly - this could be the one place they
can actually call "home." But soon the destructive cycle rears
its ugly head, commencing with Mary Jo's attraction toward
Jack Ranson (Gavin O'Connor), a trucker they met on the road.
Soon, they move from the freedom of their hotel room into
the home of the mother's new "prince charming" - a development
not appealing in the least to Ava. When Jack's true personality
shows itself, Mary Jo's instinctive reaction is not just to
move out of the man's house, but out of the city. The difference
this time is Ava's refusal to leave the new life she has found.
This is the first place where she feels comfortable, and will
not give that up without a fight. The lifestyle the two have
grown accustomed to is about to tear the relationship apart.
Despite
the fact that it is based on true incidents, the film isn't
presented as a recollection, but rather a slice of life. The
entire story is shot using a hand-held camera, giving it a
home movie feel. The screenplay is also written with an ear
for how people - especially those involved in a dysfunctional
relationship - actually communicate, adding to the film's
authenticity. The scenes where Mary Jo and her new boyfriend
argue feel real, not forced or overwrought. I also liked the
way the script observes each relationship - not just those
of a romantic nature, but the way it pays attention to the
male characters' attitude toward the daughter. Mary Jo and
Ava become close to two men during the course of the story,
and the movie does an excellent job showing the true nature
of each by the way they communicate with the daughter rather
than the mother. Jack is the kind of man whose insensitivity
seems to have been bestowed upon him at birth - while the
"family" is out bowling, he almost instinctively unleashes
his redneck chuckle when Ava rolls a ball into the gutter.
The other man they get to know is Dan, a good-hearted co-worker
at the security company. He never patronizes Ava, but instead
talks to her like a fellow traveler on a parallel life journey.
Their first conversation is about Shakespeare, and later in
the story he is so drawn in by her emotional maturity, he's
able to open up about a painful secret lying dormant in his
heart for years. Those kinds of observations serve as a magnet,
pulling us closer to the characters - making it an experience
rather than a simple viewing.
This
is the first feature from director Gavin O'Connor, and in
addition to handling the material with a deft touch, he is
aided by the brilliance of a stellar cast. Tony-Award winner
Janet ("Sweet Nothing") McTeer and newcomer Kimberly J. Brown
are flawless in their portrayals. McTeer magnificently creates
a character driven by both fear and love rather than an awareness
of what may be best for her and Ava. But while she makes some
questionable decisions, she also carries a kind of vibrance
and passion for life that has been successfully passed on
to her daughter. Their experiences, while truly harrowing
at times, have given them a desperate need for each other's
love and attention. (After the opening night performance of
Ava's school production of "Romeo and Juliet," she darts off
stage and embraces her mother - their emotions pouring out;
each being cloaked with the other's love.) The supporting
performances are also carefully executed - especially from
Gavin O'Connor, casting himself as Jack. He isn't so much
a thug as a man painfully oblivious to the feelings of anyone
else, regardless of how close in proximity they are. And Jay
O. Sanders, as Dan, does a nice job of embodying an understanding
individual who passes no judgement, but carries a respect
for anyone dealt a series of bad hands by life.
It
is fitting that the pair wind up in California, where there
is nothing but the vast ocean in front of them. The movie
shows the mother and daughter finding the strength inside
themselves to take a risk, overcome their fears, and jump
into the deep end of life, for it is only is the deepest waters
where one can rise to true happiness.
Copyright
2001 Michael Brendan McLarney Critically
Ill
|
