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Paradise (1991)
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Director:
Mary
Agnes Donoghue |
COUNTRY
USA |
GENRE
Drama |
NORWAY
TITLE
Paradise |
RUNNING
TIME
106 minutes |
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Producers:
Scott
Kroopf
Patrick Palmer |
Screenplay:
Mary Agnes
Donoghue
Jean Loup Hubert (fra his novel) |
Review
Adapted from the French Le Grand
Chemin, this Mary Agnes Donoughe film is one of those hidden
treasures that has received far less acclaim than it should have. It is
an incredibly poignant and sincere film about the simple things in life.
The direction by Donoughe is wonderful. She's not afraid to cherish her
beautiful images, but at the same time she keeps them unpretentious.
Although there are trivial moments in the film, Paradise is
filled with exceptional scenes and segments – most of them involving a sensational Elijah Wood. It is when Wood and the almost equally
brilliant Thora Birch are having their one-on-one sessions that Paradise
is at its most genuine (the scene when the two are swimming is
singular), but the Wood/Johnson relation is also touching. Only Melanie
Griffith struggles (I wonder why she can't speak like a normal person),
but even her performance is elevated by Wood's presence. At its best
Paradise is a heart-rending and wonderfully absorbing drama.
Re-reviewed: Copyright © 27.12.2004
Fredrik Gunerius Fevang
Original review: Copyright © 03.05.1996
Fredrik Gunerius Fevang
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[HAVE
YOUR SAY] |
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