The Driftless Area (2015)

A really wonderful book by Tom Drury, converted into an aimless, confusing mess. Anton Yelchin's Pierre seems aimless and lost throughout, and Zooey Deschanel's character lacks the vigor of the book. The best character was Shane.

This movie is a bit hard to explain, as it often jump back and forwards in time and tbh even after finishing it I think many (including myself) will struggle a bit to figure out what the movie was actually about.But sometimes the destination is not what's important but the journey there is as they say, and the movie for the more-part entertains with mostly quirky abstract dialogue that could only exist in a movie (or a novel of which this movie is based on), often with a very dry sense of humor.The first half is pretty stellar, the second half halters a bit gets a bit uneven and there are a lot of loose ties that remain untied even after the credits start rolling.But it was still worth watching and it's nice to see Zoeey Deschanel in something new and the rest of the cast does fine as well.

I rented "The Driftless Area" from a Redbox machine and admired the offbeat nature of this low-budget fantasy-thriller.A very fine cast is assembled with such veteran actors as Frank Langella and Cirian Hinds. Zooey Deschanel is lovely as Stella, the principal supernatural character. And Anton Yelchin is perfect as the Everyman figure named Pierre.The film's narrative starts on the premise of cause-and-effect action and how seemingly random occurrences have fateful consequences. At the heart of the drama is the arson that is committed on a farm house with the petty criminal unaware that the home was occupied by a young woman. The film builds from that experience with a quirky set of characters playing out a fantasy revenge and redemption story.The directorial approach to the film could have been more creative in evoking the supernatural aura surrounding the character of Stella. It was not clear, for instance, how Stella could appear to Pierre both as a real-life character and as a vision of light. There were too many confusing moments that could have been imaginatively developed in an otherwise thoughtful and sensitive film idea.

Very unusual movie. I went to see this at the 2015's Tribeca Film Festival, because I really enjoyed the book and wanted to see how the movie adaption went. Even though it does follow the book, it has certain aspects that are different and parts of the movie become extremely confusing if you haven't been paying super close attention. It is beautifully shot, and the cast is especially remarkable. The main character, played by Yelchin, was in fact my least favorite one. His character is confusing, and you wonder what part is he actually playing within the plot. It's not a bad performance at all, but he does lack emotion in some of the scenes. Ms. Deschanel plays Stella, probably the most intriguing and haunting character in the story. She seems not to fit anywhere, and makes us wonder whether she's real or just an illusion. Her undeniable and almost ethereal beauty is especially highlighted in a scene where she is wearing a white dress - half the theatre gasped here, she was distressingly beautiful! And overall a great performance that shows her dramatic side is as good as her comedic, New Girl one. Probably my favorite performance in the film. Plaza has a short role in it, but she is really good. Very different from her Parks and Rec portrayal, but great nonetheless. I wish we'd gotten to see more of her, as I think she is in it for around two- three scenes. John Hawkes is wonderful as the "villain" of the story, and makes you hate him within ten minutes into the movie. I'd give it a 7/10- story is weak at some parts, but a great cast and beautiful photography makes up for those. I'm really hoping they release it soon so that I can give it another try. The ending was quick and open for interpretation- we are left wrecking our brains for the most likely outcome.