Against the Current (2009)

I love quiet, thoughtful movies. This is a quiet thoughtful movies and I couldn't connect with to it. Dark, slow, repugnant characters, flat, static acting, annoying music, there is nothing to like about this movie. I even snoozed through some of it.Mary Tyler Moore is usually a shining light but even her ugly character is nothing but morose and deadpan.Maybe it is the topic of the movie. Depression and lost love can be a dark hole to go down with nowhere to escape.That is how this movie felt to me. I only had a twinge of sadness in the last couple of minutes to think of the hopelessness of it all and the lost time watching this movie.

For me, ET is a horror movie. ET being marooned far from his home planet, ET having a strong belief in being good, ET spreading his belief to those close to him. A greater horror is that The Good who share a belief in Be Good just might be tempted to believe that the main alternative to Be Good is to Be Bad rather than Be Sensible.For me, part of the first ever Spy Kids is horror too. Some errant little ones dealt with by teaching them to Be Good.Against The Current has the roots of my horror about Be Good. For me this story says a lot. While being a rather watchable story.SPOILER. Mostly I do not say why I feel that about this story as it is in the air that it breaths. But who is Pasthule, played so scarily by Nimo Gandhi? He is Liz's mum's boyfriend and Liz even enquires beforehand if he will be there during their visit. The meal shows him to be highly tied up, in chains. The conversation between Liz and her mum after the meal has Liz looking horrified. He is subject to Be Good and cannot escape without rather highly skilled help. I recognise that type of chained one.

I had the chance to see this at AFI festival in Dallas. The movie is beautifully shot, and some of the scenes along the Hudson are gorgeous. The story line is intriguing, and unfolds as the swimmer makes his way through the challenge of swimming the Hudson. As the first reviewer said, he has a tragic story that compels him to take on this feat. I won't divulge the details, but as his story comes out, it makes you think hard about some of life's issues. Definitely worth seeing.The dialog is also well-written. Although this is not a comedy, the dialog is often quite funny. Fiennes may have gorgeous eyes, but I thought Justin Kirk's character really stood out in the film.

Attended a Q&A screening of Against The Current at Sundance, and I must say, the film left me in a bad mood.Yes, I enjoyed the cinematography of the Hudson River Valley, and the water photography was impressive. However, the subject matter and dialogue were contrived and predictable. Joseph Fiennes and Elizabeth Reaser's performances were a disappointment, and I felt Mary Tyler-Moore's cameo was unnecessary and distracting. Poor Justin Kirk; I've loved him in every project, but his talent was wasted here. His "funny guy" lines were so terrible, but his attempt to make them palatable is to be commended. I've come to expect more from Sundance, so I had to shake my head when the lights came up. Granted, writer/director Peter Callahan made a valiant effort with Against The Current, but I would have rather seen a more substantial, creative, forward-thinking film from him. Recommended as a rental, if at all.