It always amazes me how cinematography and music scores come together to create something so beautiful and so transcendent that you get lost in it. There have been films that weren't particularly great, but had that very thing to offer. That always saves a movie for me. If you have breathtaking visuals and music, then you've done something great in my book. That's sort of a good example of this next film.
"The Boys Are Back" is a film directed by Scott Hicks and stars Clive Owen as Joe, a single father struggling to make it work with his young son and his estranged older son from a previous marriage after his wife dies. Joe is dealing with his own grief as well as dealing with his young son's random expressions of grief. Also in the mix is his older son who is dealing with the fact that Joe left him when he was young. It's a very heartfelt film that is very emotional and Clive Owen does a great job with this material. I'd have to say that this performance is his best since "Closer", another film I adore. He's very believable as Joe and the struggles that he faces as a father taking care of two boys and their issues. He was so used to his wife taking care of their young son because he has a demanding job as a sports writer and now that she's gone, he literally doesn't know what to do, how to cope, and how to keep things in order. The house is perpetually a mess and he develops a no rule policy to better handle his sons. There were a few supporting characters in this film that I felt were promising but didn't really fulfill their intentions. It almost seemed like these characters didn't really need to be in the film because at times they were insignificant. Maybe that was the director's intention to show that despite these other people in his life, they don't matter as much as what he and his sons are dealing with. That was really the only problem I had with the film. The supporting characters just sort of fell off in the end and you don't know what happened with those story lines so it's left open. Then again, maybe that was the whole point. The supporting characters could've been signifying how society determines how we're supposed to act and how we're supposed to live our lives but at the end of the day, it's all about you and your family and what works for you. What I also liked about this film is that it made me smile. The carefree anything goes attitude of Joe and his boys was very attractive to me and the fact that they could have fun and enjoy life even in the face of grief. It is the very definition of the human condition and I was deeply touched by it.
The cinematography was absolutely beautiful. The opening scene at the beginning of the film is what hooked me in. Hal Lindes' score is magnificent and it takes you to that beach in the opening scene. The scene at the very end as well is it's counterpart. It's like the sequel to the opening scene and it's even more beautiful of the Australian countryside.
I recommend this film for the performances and the cinematography. It's put together very well and it's a solid watch for a night in.
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