Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Prof_Lostiswitz The real reason to see this movie is for its portrayal of the fens, a pert of the world we don't often see. The atmosphere of muck and ooze contributes greatly to the story, and sexual imagery involving eels reminds me of The Tin Drum. The sombre, empty horizons reflect the state of mind the characters are in.That being said, I still think the story is pure soap opera. I can appreciate a good melodrama, but this didn't offer anything out of the ordinary. That being said, I still think the story is pure soap opera. I can appreciate a good melodrama, but this didn't offer anything out of the ordinary.So I recommend the movie, but it is far from being a masterpiece.

victorsargeant I agree with the other com-mentors. It's a masterpiece of sorts.I did not fight it, just yielded and enjoyed the haunting performances.Caught it for the first time yesterday and have not stopped thinking about it. Irons is brilliant and looks awful, but his appearance is the reflection of the mess inside him.The location of the story is wonderful. I liked the way the present slipped into the past and remained in the present. Wonderful technique to tell this wistful sad tale of the human comedy. Had a Ken Russell feel to the camera work, you have to give up trying to make sense of the scenes, just give in and let it take you over.A must see. SARGE

kidx42 A wondrous journey into a dark and troubled mind. Jeremy Irons is in his prime acting form here, as a teacher. Here he tries to enlighten his students with brooding flashbacks of his troubled teen life. The director also allows the students to interact with the flashbacks creating a dreamy, wondrous gloss over some very disturbing imagery. If you loved the Cell and Seven than this may have been one you missed. A must see.

dusted1 This is a dark brooding movie that hooked me the first time I saw it. I've enjoyed watching it a number of times ever since.Jeremy Irons is, as Leonard Matlin indicates in his review, superb in his role. There's a great deal of darkness and certainly some degree of socially deviant behavior in the film. But it's very much the darkness that provides the drama and meaning to the story. It's a beautifully photographed film. I thought Lena Headey was quite good in addition to being stunning. Sinead Cusack and all of the supporting cast were quite good. It is an eccentric film, but I believe it comes through as a very fine piece of film making.It strikes me as being very underrated by the users' ratings. This is probably due in the main to the darkness of the film and its most definite lack of Hollywood style optimism. The lower ratings might also be due to what might be interpreted as a conservative message. I am not a political conservative--God forbid! However, the message that there can be unforeseen and terrible consequences from our actions is something that all of us could well profit from. Very fine movie, but certainly not for those that dislike "the bad taste of things"--or the tragedies of life.