OCTOBER GALE (2014)

March 2, 2015

october gale Greetings again from the darkness. Writer/Director Ruba Nadda likes to explore human nature and unexpected romantic attraction. She did this in Cairo Time (2009) and does so again here in this excruciatingly slow-moving “thriller” with an interesting beginning, muddled middle, and a final act that reminds of wet fireworks … a dud. On the bright side, actress-extraordinaire Patricia Clarkson never allows us to lose interest.

I’ve often written of my enjoyment of slow-burns and slow-builds for thrillers, and the best manage to generate a sense of caring from the viewers as they move towards the climax. Unfortunately, this one offers little more than an intriguing premise that places one ridiculous development on top of the next.

Patricia Clarkson plays a doctor whose beloved husband has recently passed away and she heads to their lake cottage for some peace and quiet. Not long after, an injured Scott Speedman shows up in her living room. Being a doctor, she performs bullet-removal surgery with needle-nosed pliers, and then of course, finds herself attracted to the young gunshot victim who is being hunted by the father of a guy Speedman killed.

We know the showdown is coming, but it seems to take forever to arrive, and then is pretty anti-climactic despite the presence of Tim Roth as the revenge-seeking father. The romantic attraction is pretty far-fetched and plays like a Nicolas Sparks story, or even a 1990’s Tom Berenger or Ashley Judd thriller.

The focus on death could have gone much deeper, psychologically speaking, and there is a brief scene where Roth tells Speedman “You always think there’s going to be more time” that leads us to believe things are going to get really interesting. Instead more attention is given to the unlikely romance and the kinda hokey manhunt. Fortunately, the cinematography around beautiful Georgian Bay helps offset the story and the manipulative score, and of course watching Patricia Clarkson and Tim Roth work is always somewhat satisfying.

watch the trailer:

 

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Posted by David Ferguson

CAIRO TIME (2009)

August 22, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. I am as intrigued and fascinated by the mysteries of Egypt as most. Seeing the majestic monuments from the past still standing is remarkable and awe-inspiring. Not so awe-inspiring are the dusty road and crowded streets and walk ways of Cairo. Unfortunately, writer/director Ruba Nadda provides much more of the latter than the former.

This is supposed to be an intimate tale of charm and love in the mesmerizing city of Cairo. Instead, it’s a torturously slow moving train to nowhere. The two lead characters, Tareq and Juliette, are well played by Alexander Siddig and Patricia Clarkson. Unfortunately, they are not supported by a worthy script. Where was the connection between these two? She makes no effort to contact him until she “needs” him after being accosted on the street … where Caucasian women just don’t walk alone.

I was amazed at how this magazine journalist was so clueless on the way of life in a city she was to visit for 3 weeks. Tareq was more of a tour guide, who also happened to be a lonely heart – whether for Juliette or the “love of his life” who reappears. It seemed he could go either way, if not for the cultural disrespect shown to a widow.

The driving force seems to be Ms. Nadda’s obsession with romance between a Muslim and non-Muslim. If that’s the case, the film desperately needed more insight into the cultural and religious differences. Instead what we get is a woman who, on one hand, is willing to risk a dangerous trip to find her “missing husband” and, on the other, teetering on whether to toss him aside for a new found tour guide.

I found little of this believable or rewarding. More substance was needed in the story and the “relationship” between these two. I enjoy nuanced romance very much when it makes sense (see The Remains of the Day). I also enjoy political thrillers where a wife refuses to give up her search for her husband (see Missing). What I don’t enjoy are movies that think they have earned the right to be considered important just because they start with an interesting premise.

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Posted by David Ferguson