Rama’s SCREEN

This is a very subtle, sultry movie with drama that will get you depressed and captivated at the same time. The lighting and the mood are set in a way that compliments the music. The pace may be… a bit too slow for my taste, and the cinematography isn’t all that great either, it relies mostly on the story, which I think is being a little too nice when it could’ve been much more powerful and effective.

Elizabeth (Jones) meets Jeremy (Law) a cafe owner and gives him her keys just in case her cheating boyfriend comes by to collect them. Days pass by and the keys are still there but Jeremy and Elizabeth grow to like each other. Elizabeth, however, decides to embark on a journey across America to resolve her question about love while encountering some offbeat characters along the way. She finally returns to the one man who’s always been there for her.

This movie has been in film festivals since last year but the buzz has been around Norah Jones who actually isn’t so bad at all. Her acting obviously got beginners written all over it but she does it well and she can hold her grounds while sharing screen time with Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, and Oscar nominees Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and David Straithairn.
I think if Norah Jones wants to continue career in this business, she might have to sharpen her skills a bit, but she has what it takes to get better.

The music is meant to sooth you and give you a sense of journey with the characters, a self-realization or some sort of enlightenment at the end of the tunnel, but blues/folk music like Norah Jones’ music makes me want to fall asleep.
Not that it’s bad or anything but watching this movie with that kind of music in the background doesn’t really help me stay focused on I’m watching because all I’m hearing is this lullaby soothing music in my ears, not to mention the fact that the movie pace is already slow as it is.

The music, if you check out this movie’s soundtrack, does have a list of contributions from famous talented artists.

This is director Kar Wai Kong’s (2046, Eros) first English language movie. Not a bad start, getting big stars to join the project could be considered a pretty good accomplishment.
Storywise, it’s okay. I mean… the filmmaker wants this to be like a journal. Somebody’s soul-searching journey and she writes them all in postcards that she sends to her friend. Meanwhile we get to watch the diary happen right before our eyes.
It’s a story about picking up the pieces and getting yourself together after having your heart broken and betrayed by love and life. It’s about learning or allowing yourself to trust somebody again.
It’s nice, but nice is all there is to it.
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