Levity (2003)
Manuel Jordan is a man who is free after serving 23 years for killing a teenager during an attempted robbery. After nearly two decades of staring at his victim's face on a newspaper clipping in his cell, the newly paroled man seeks redemption. Instead, redemption—in the form of a mysterious minister and two needy women— finds him.
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This film is far from perfect and many of the points made by its critics are true. But somehow these don't really matter - the whole is more than the sum of the parts, and all that. The performances from the four leads are mostly understated and achingly moving when one least expects it. I thought the writing was beautiful, thought-provoking, honest and real - even though some things didn't really add up I just went with it. I didn't find it slow, I was totally absorbed. I loved the music, complementing the mood. Shot during a snowy winter it is also beautiful to look at - a simple little scene of dropping snowballs from a bridge could have been so pretentious but instead just captures a sadness (rather ruined I am afraid when one snowball defies gravity in a ridiculous way that just seems ridiculous). This film has no answers, and is sometimes a little clumsy about it. But just savour it.
"Levity" (2003) Artfully melancholic. Real, perhaps even surreal as this story quietly, yet gracefully plumbs the depths between reality & perception, introspection, fate and (mis)fortune. Heart-wrenching in its sincerity. The story revolves about a man freed from concrete walls and bars, but not of his conscious. What follows is a remarkable journey into the thought and life of a man seeking redemption. As his journey begins, he encounters the beginnings of a new life. Laid bare & unpretentious, the mood is set within the confines of what one may encounter upon re-entering society. The cinematography is excellent, appropriate and chillingly in-line with the theme of this movie. Top-notch actors in supporting roles make this film a "must see". This is, a great film.
Sorry, Noel - the reason "why this misses the mark for so many people" isn't any of the clever reasons you give - it's because, quite simply, the film is unadulterated crap. A waste of some of the finest talents Hollywood has to offer. And a waste of the evening I spent watching it when I hired it out on DVD, misled by comments like yours that I would find more in it that met the eye of the mainstream media reviewers who originally gave it the thumbs down. The film tries to be very clever by concealing from you what is really going on, and does this so well (or badly, depending on your perspective) that you are well into it before you realise that, in fact, nothing is going on at all.
A recently paroled convict, who as a teenager shot and killed a young convenience store worker, is left to find his way in society; he's offered a custodial job from a hot-tempered, streetwise pastor, and hopes to connect with the sister of his victim in order to complete the cycle of redemption--but he finds it isn't that easy. Billy Bob Thornton gives a controlled, emotional performance that comes from deep within. The film isn't quite in balance--and has some quirky, uncertain moments near the beginning that either don't ring true or just don't feel natural--but stick with it and you might find resonance in the extraordinary acting and the way the story arcs in just the right way. Terrific casting and performances, atmospheric production and locales, several amazing, emotional moments. *** from ****