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| A poignant family drama |
IMAGINARY HEREOS
Directed by Dan Harris
Certificate 18
AFTER rising through the ranks of being a production assistant
on Mickey Blue Eyes (1999) and Celebrity (1998), writer/director
Dan Harris has blazed a trail into feature filmmaking with no fewer
than three new film coming out in as many years.
His latest is an astonishingly funny and poignant drama, Imaginary
Heroes. In the mould of Moonlight Mile, this is a daring, exciting,
unpredictable family drama headlined with stars and featuring a
story that punctuates shock with comedy.
Sigourney Weaver (pictured) plays Sandy Travis, an uptight mother
and housewife whose marriage to Ben (Jeff Daniels) is boring and
whose teenage sons Matt and Tim couldn’t be more different
from each other.
When Matt commits suicide, the family’s weakened ties begin
to unravel for good. Ben turns into a zombie as Tim tries to deal
with the truth only he knows. Harris, who co-wrote X2, has brought
in obvious elements of The Ice Storm and Ordinary People here, but
more than that, he’s managed to balance the pain of the family
with the goofy ways life hijacks them in their grief.
Sandy’s unending war with her apparently nice neighbour Marge
Dwyer (Deirdre O’Connell) is a scream while Tim and Kyle, Marge’s
son and Tim’s best mate, have a gay encounter that puts an
interesting spin on their friendship.
And this may be the only film so far that features the song stylings
of New York cabaret duo Kiki and Herb (Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman).
What unfolds in Imaginary Heroes is as astonishing as life: unblinking,
unabashed and unpretentious.
Think of it as The Ice Storm without sobriety and you’ll be
close – and yet Imaginary Heroes, for all its darkness and
doom is funny without giving up any of its serious points. A dramatic
comedy with a cast that couldn’t be bettered. |
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