A period piece set in 1920s Los Angeles, this is the story of Hollywood stuntman Roy (Lee Pace), and a little girl named Alexandria (Catinca Untaru). He’s in the hospital for jumping off of a railway bridge onto a horse, which caused him a serious back injury. She’s in the hospital after breaking her arm when she fell out of an orange tree. After they meet, he begins to tell her fantastic stories, which lead to a dramatic conclusion.

 

This is the best film I’ve seen in this festival. It was beautiful to watch, the performances were spot on, and the emotional tug on your heartstrings made me long for a box of tissues. Roy performed the stunt to try and get back his girlfriend, who’s left him for another man. He sinks further and further into depression, while in the hospital. Alexandria meets him while trying to get a note she wrote to one of the nurses.

 

The colors of the hospital are neutral and natural. Lots of white, and light colored clothing. When the story moves into the realm of fantasy, the colors and the costumes become lush and gorgeous. The reds are RED, and the blues are BLUE. The team of bandits has costumes that range from saffron to emerald colored satins, and ruby colored Egyptian muslin. Locations ranged from Indian palaces and desolate islands, to Escher inspired mazes and staircases.

 

Towards the end of the film, Alexandria attempts to help Roy once more, and she has an accident, which results in her having surgery. The film switches to an odd sort of animation that my classmates referred to as resembling a Tool video. To me, this represented the way she saw her surgery. Upon waking, Roy sits by her bedside and tries to tell her that the story was just a device to get her to help him. Emotionally, I was fine until she said, “I didn’t tell them our secret. Not even when they were torturing me with needles.” I started to cry so hard. He continues to tell her the story, and I cried even more. The reason this scene is so effective, is because Alexandria is five years old. Her reactions and emotions are so real. And Roy’s conversations with her are so responsive. The actress playing Alexandria seemed to forget her lines some of the time, and Pace went with it. He improvised with her until they got back on track. Doing this helped make the film have a more realistic feel to it.

 

Please see this film if you’re given the opportunity. It’s so wonderful and refreshing.

 

Five trees out of 5