Eighteen
DIRECTED BY RICHARD BELLAs ambitious as it is thoroughly compelling, Eighteen is Canadian filmmaker Richard Bell’s first full-length feature, which makes it all the more astonishing an accomplishment, because the work has the certainty and feel of something from a highly seasoned filmmaker. Beautifully shot in British Columbia by Kevin J. Van Niekerk, forcefully but deftly acted by every single member of the fairly large cast, and written so dexterously there is never a false note, Eighteen really soars, using some quite new thematic juxtapositions to get at some often disturbing truths. I don’t want to go into the plot points—the less you know, I think, the better—but, rather like The English Patient, the film cogently interweaves events of the past with the present, but Eighteen goes for even more parallel thematic resonance. The two movies that comprise Eighteen glide felicitously in and out of each other, never once losing emotional velocity. For much of the movie, something disturbing happens or is revealed nearly every minute, and the movie never goes quite where you think it will as it moves inexorably toward its highly satisfying and moving resolutions. You may not have ever heard of the following six actors, but you most definitely will: Paul Anthony, Brendan Fletcher, and Mark Hildreth give extraordinarily courageous performances, each sparing himself nothing, and Clarence Sponagle, Carly Pope, and David Beazely are note-perfect, bringing real dimension to their characters. Lending their more famous names and considerable talents to the film are the ever-captivating Alan Cumming, the voice of Ian McKellen, and Thea Gill, who sings so well that I’m surprised her voice wasn’t put to good use when she played Lindsay on Queer as Folk. Bramwell Tovey’s epic score hauntingly broadens the filmmaker’s meticulous brush strokes. Auteur Bell delves unflinchingly into a truth that most of us unfortunately know all too well: Some things you can never get over. By turns endearing and stinging, tender and savage, this powerful movie could really break your heart. (TLA Releasing) Tom Steele
