Three very different women confront life-changing decisions in this film derived from Rebecca Miller's book of short stories. Each woman has reached a turning point in her life. Delia (Kyra Sedgwick) finally takes a stand and leaves her abusive husband, but still has to find a way to regain her power and life; Greta (Parker .. Read more
| Starring | John Ventimiglia, Kyra Sedgwick, Fairuza Balk, David Warshofsky |
|---|---|
| Director | Rebecca Miller |
| Genres | Drama |
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Three very different women confront life-changing decisions in this film derived from Rebecca Miller's book of short stories. Each woman has reached a turning point in her life. Delia (Kyra Sedgwick) finally takes a stand and leaves her abusive husband, but still has to find a way to regain her power and life; Greta (Parker Posey) achieves more professional success than she ever imagined, but has fidelity issues when it comes to her marriage and her lovable but dull husband; and, on the heels of a tragic accident, Paula (Fairuza Balk) has to contend with an unplanned pregnancy and the status of her personal relationships. Shot in digital video, the film is peppered with various effects and editing that achieve an intimate look and feel. Sedgwick is exceptional and wholly believable as gritty, tough-as-nails Delia. Both Posey and Balk are well cast as their respective characters, with Poseys vignette infusing some humor into the trilogy despite its serious overtones, and Balk bringing an indepth sensitivity to Paula. The film also stars David Warshofsky, Tim Guinee, Rob Leibman, and Wallace Shawn and is narrated by John Ventimiglia. PERSONAL VELOCITY is written and directed by Rebecca Miller, daughter of famed playwright Arthur Miller.
| Starring | John Ventimiglia, Kyra Sedgwick, Fairuza Balk, David Warshofsky, Brian Tarantina, Mara Hobel |
|---|---|
| Director | Rebecca Miller |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 23 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 01 Sep 2003 Production year: 2001 |
| Format | DVD |
This second feature from playwright Arthur Miller's writer/director daughter Rebecca may lack the froth commonly associated with chick flicks, but it's most definitely a woman's film. Adapting her own book of short stories, Miller delivers an intellectually sophisticated soul-searcher that will strike a chord with many female viewers. The drama is split into three separate, though ultimately interconnected, segments, each dealing with a woman who has reached a turning point in her life. Kyra Sedgwick plays the battered wife who's finally had enough, Parker Posey the married book-editor suddenly liberated by her career and a typecast Fairuza Balk is the rebel forced to face adult responsibilities. Though the film isn't exactly feel-good entertainment, it's still emotionally invigorating, benefiting from an articulate script and solid, spirited performances. Miller directs with passion, making beautiful use of digital video and, while the extensive narration emphasises the movie's literary origins, it's never detrimental to the overall eloquence of the piece.
A portmanteau movie in which women take actions that change their lives, though whether for the better or worse is open to debate; sharp performances get the most out of the material.
I sat down on a Saturday afternoon to watch this with no prior expectations and was thoroughly hooked.
This is a touching story of three women reaching a point of change in their lives, ending up in a situation they did not plan, but realising they need or want to be there. The film very easily touches on so much of these women?s life: relationships, love, family, friends, children, career, money. I?m sure that most women (men as well) can relate with one of the characters somewhere along the line.
The film does not contain huge amounts of dialogue and is shot in an unsteady hazy documentary style; this combined with some really good performances (from supporting actors as well as the three main women) gives it a very real edge.
What I especially liked about this film was the lack of moral judgement of its characters ? I didn?t feel the need to have an opinion on their actions or life, I just really enjoyed sitting in on their stories. I highly recommend it.
but very realistic, keeps you hooked to the end although the storyline was a bit jerky in places and not so easy to follow at the start.