WANDER DARKLY

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming from writer/director Tara Miele and Lionsgate comes a story of love, fracture and what we will all do to keep both in WANDER DARKLY.

Adrienne (Sienna Miller) and Matteo (Diego Luna) are a struggling new parents only made worse when he forgets their date night out. Pointing out that it was his idea, they try to make the best of the evening. In a fraction of a second that all changes when they are hit head on by another car.

That is when Adrienne’s journey into what is reality and what is fantasy begins. Believing she is dead; she jumps from memory to memory until Matteo stops her. Instead, he points out their memories together to prove that she is still alive. Refusing to believe it, she also points out to Matteo that he has not been honest with her about many things, including another woman.

Adrienne and Matteo start from the beginning of their relationship and remembering what it was that drew them together. Memory after memory gives Adrienne moments of pure joy and then moments of terror when she sees the Hooded Figure. Mom Patty (Beth Grant) tries her best, but Adrienne overhears how she really feels making things more difficult.

Only Adrienne can pull herself out of the place she is in and with Matteo’s help she just may be able to live again.

Miller as Adrienne is epic in this role as a woman caught between feeling death and trying to feel alive. Matteo taking her down the road gives her a chance to see how they came to be as a couple and where things started to go wrong. In the meantime, she sees this figure that cements her belief in no longer being part of this world. Matteo is her only way out of the nightmare, and he does it through forgiveness and love. Miller is stunning.

Luna as Matteo is a man trying his best but knowing that he truly has not given Adrienne all of himself. Unhappy with the way things are going in their marriage as well, he tends to run away, but now he must stay and face everything with Adrienne. Luna is beautiful and brilliant in this role.

Other cast include Tory Kittles as Liam, Dan Gill as Dane, Ayden Mayeri as Summer, Aimee Carrero as Shea and James Landry Hebert as the Hooded Figure.

Lionsgate is a global leader in motion picture production and distribution for theatres, television, home entertainment and more. Theatre franchises include THE HUNGER GAMES, and DIVERGENT along with JOHN WICK. Now, adding this film to its 16,000-motion picture and television titles you can see everything coming soon as well as available now at http://www.lionsgate.com.

WANDER DARKLY is a web of stories, memories and truths that need to be reckoned with. The casting of Miller and Luna together is absolutely stunning to watch. They move the story like weaving a delicate fabric, one misstep and it could ruin the cloth – but here they weave magic.

There are moments of frustration, tears, anxiety and pure love from a couple who lost their way for a bit. It is not unusual for this to happen but watching Adrienne and Matteo take it step by step is ethereal and beautiful even in the sadness.

In the end – some stories end with the beginning!

 

It is a Mystery in the Life of an AMERICAN WOMAN

Jeri Jacquin

Opening in theatres this Friday from director Jake Scott and Roadside Attractions is a long mystery with AMERICAN WOMAN.

Supermarket cashier Deb Callahan (Sienna Miller) is living her own exciting life in a small town in Pennsylvania. At home is her daughter Bridget (Sky Ferreira) with a young son of her own. Across the street is Deb’s sister Katherine (Christina Hendricks) who is very judgmental of Deb’s life and doesn’t hold her opinion back. Mom Peggy (Amy Madigan) goes along to get along.

After a night out with boyfriend Tyler (Alex Neustaedter), Deb is upset that Bridget hasn’t returned home. She begins looking and discovers she had a fight with her boyfriend and visited a friend before leaving on her own. The vanishing of Bridget sets her off the deep end not knowing what to do.

The years pass and Deb is now with boyfriend Ray (Pat Healy) and raising grandson Jesse (Aiden Fiske). Going to school she is trying to make a better life for herself and the boy. At night she is on the internet looking for any signs of Bridget. The truth is out there about Ray with his temper and Tyler and his fatherly visits.

But it’s time for Deb to strike out on her own, even with the shadow of her daughter constantly following her. It doesn’t stop her from finishing what she started and celebrating with the family who is back in her life. Then she meets Chris (Aaron Paul) and life moves forward as it should.

Yet there is still a mystery waiting to be solved.

Miller as Deb is a woman who definitely has had more lows than highs. Her self-esteem is nearly nil and she is doing her best to raise a young grandson that is smart and well aware of their situation. When her time comes to find the answers she needs to know but is she ready to know.

Hendricks as Katherine is the worrisome sister who sees the path that Deb was taking and once Bridget is gone, tries to stop the train wreck. Deb doesn’t make it easy but that doesn’t stop Hendricks character from making sure she doesn’t totally fall. Madigan as Mom Peggy wants what’s best for her daughter but there are unresolved issues between she and Deb that constantly flow out.

Paul as Chris is the one unexpected thing in her love that begins to make her feel as if there is hope for Deb’s life. He is funny, charming and enjoys the life that they create for themselves. But there comes a moment when a choice must be made and once again it effective everyone that lives in the shadow of Bridget.

Other cast include Will Sasso as Terry, Kelly Golden as Jenna Cunningham, Bates Wilder as Detective O’Brien, Rachel Singer as Mrs. Derrick and Kentucker Audley as Brett.

AMERICAN WOMAN is a slow paced film and in this case I liked it for just that reason. This is a story of a life that is affected by one event with a family left behind to pick up the pieces. The performances are fantastic as Miller, Hendricks and Paul wrap around the story leaving us to slowly pull it all apart.

The cinematography is just as deep and part of the mystery as who stopped Bridget from coming home that fateful night. Watching their journey is one of heartbreak, understanding and relentless hope that for once, the ending could be what all of us would hope for ourselves.

It is the story of a woman who made changes in her life according to events all the way up to a woman changing her life because she was strong enough to do it for herself. It is life moving forward for the sake of living and not on hold for a past you can not change. It takes the power of moving past pain to make that happen and Miller gives us just that.

In the end – never lose hope!