Movie #181........................."Against the Current"

Movie #181 "Against the Current" I liken to "'Night, Mother," but not quite as good, but it would be difficult to surpass one of the most emotional play experiences we have ever had. In that play, Kathy Bates comes on stage and points out to her mother that she plans to kill herself in 90 minutes (real play time, too --- there's a clock on stage that ticks away). It was one of the most unusual, emotional rollercoaster rides Dave and I have ever experienced. As much as I would NEVER, EVER accept suicide as any option at all, by the end of the 90 minutes, the audience member is partially convinced(? dare I say that) to Bates way of thinking....or maybe we just give up to her very solid, no holds barred arguments. I remember that after she says, "'Night, Mother" and the stage turns black and you hear the gunshot.........no one dared breathe. There was a pause, and the stage lights went up gradually, and the two women came from both sides of the stage and met in the middle and bowed. No one clapped...........we were too shocked, upset, emotions drained, whatever ------but everyone stood up for these women who had worked so hard for us during the show............then after a minute or two, the applause began. It was incredible. This has the same premise, basically. I'm not giving anything away here..............the booklet at the phoenix film festival that we saw this at last night told us what was on Joe's mind. And there are arguments, and emotional rollercoasters, and funny bits with Mary Tyler Moore, who offers a mother's point of view, but it isn't the emotional impact of the other one. Could it be because it isn't a play? perhaps. I don't know. But Dave and I left talking and talking and talking about this one. It's sombre, no doubt, and it has to be well acted and creative, because it's a lot of Joe Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) swimming and his friends following behind in a boat, but it worked. And we do recommend it. It might just go straight to dvd, though. It's worth looking for it, if it sounds intriguing to you. It's one of those new year's eve movies!!! I'll have to tell you about that reference if you ask!




Average rating: 3.356
I gave it 4 stars
Against the Current
(2009) NR
To honor the anniversary of his beloved wife's death, financial writer Paul Thompson (Joseph Fiennes) sets out to swim the entire 150-mile length of the lower Hudson River with the help of friends Jeff (Justin Kirk) and Liz (Elizabeth Reaser), who are facing problems of their own. As they go about turning Thompson's dream into a reality, each faces the inevitability of loss and learns the power of friendship. Peter Callahan directs.