The Year That Trembled

Description

A flawless ensemble cast brings to life this powerful 1970s coming-of-age drama, war chronicle and unconventional love story set in the shadow of Kent State's turbulent events. Written and directed by Jay Craven and based on the novel by Scott Lax, this "intimate, subtly riveting, and richly reminiscent" (Portland Press Herald) masterpiece follows a group of young people caught up in events that will transform their lives in ways they cannot imagine. Punctuated by authentic period footage, a soundtrack that includes 17 songs from the era, "lush cinematography and stellar performances" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), The Year That Trembled is a haunting portrait of a time when passions ignited a nation and choices became a matter of life and death.

Customer Reviews:

Uneven but worthwhile.......2007-04-17

Films about the 1960s are always difficult -- some go no deeper than the familiar media images, others fail to capture the tone of that unique time. This one does something a little different by looking at the end of the 1960s, following the lives of several high school graduates sharing a house near Kent State after the 1970 shootings. They represent a cross-section of young America at the time, with the late Jonathan Brandis our point-of-view character, aspiring writer Casey Pederson: politically & culturally a bit left of center, but no hippie or radical. (His tragic death shortly after making this film lends it additional poignancy.)

Casey & his friends are waiting for the first draft lottery, which hangs over their summer like a black cloud of potential doom. Having endured the same horrible wait back then, I can attest that the ominous feeling is captured perfectly, as well as the sense that the optimism & ideals of the earlier 1960s were fading away. We all sensed that things were going to be very different in the 1970s, nothing like the golden future of peace & understanding we had envisioned -- and the film conveys this with precision.

The low budget gives it a sort of ramshackle feeling, and at times the quality veers into made-for-TV territory. The script & acting are a bit uneven, especially at first; but as the story continues, a certain emotional power builds up. Characters are forced into narrowing corners with fewer & fewer choices, and several make the wrong ones, both politically & personally. Casey's brooding & uncertainty, his unspoken but obvious need for something genuine, for fidelity & love & faith in the future, is superbly portrayed. It rings just as true today as it did then. And Marin Hinkle gives a warm, wonderful performance as the fired high school teacher who is both guiding mother figure & troubled woman.

Sometimes the necessary intensity or insight is lacking ... but on the whole, this film is a reminder of a time when teenagers thought about more than mass market fads, and considered their place in the world & their need to make something better of it. The cost of bearing that weight, which led to both self-betrayal & rising to idealistic heights, is depicted well. They were all so terribly young.... The film will leave you with a bittersweet afterglow, and a realization that its message is all too relevant again today. Recommended!

Would recommend to fans of independent film.......2006-03-22

Not a big fancy film, but very good for a small independent film. The cast as a whole gave a great performance; Jon Brandis, in one of his last projects, was excellent. I wish this film had been given the wider theatrical release it deserved.

Made me a tad Weepy!.......2006-03-18

I've been a Jonathan Brandis fan since the days his face adorned the cover of BOP and Tiger Beat magazines. I followed his career with glee and taped every episode of SeaQuest in order to see his baby blues peeking at me from the depts of my tv. And when I found out that he had ended his life I was both heart-broken and outraged.

So when I happened across this movie, I jumped at the chance to buy one of the last films he appeared in. And I wasn't disappointed in the least. I enjoyed seeing "Andy" from Dawson's Creek and "Knox" from Angel, as well.

The trials and tribulations of college-aged kids, trying to grow-up yet still being controlled by the adults around them was enough to make me thankful my childhood was spent without too much home threats of war.

I recommend this flick to any and all who :
1. Love Jonathan Brandis (a line in the movie will break your heart, though: "I could just die right now..." Cuz - ya know - he's not living...)
2. dig a love triangle as complicated as Bermuda's, and
3. oppose War and all it has to "offer."

Part of me, part of the USA, part of all of us.......2006-03-13

I was an extra in this movie and I must say the end product does not do justice to the experience. Being just down the road from the site of the Kent State shootings, I don't think it is possible to portray the reality of the feelings of that era on a television screen. The actors were wonderful to work with and my pride for them blends over into my viewing of their performances. My favorite, by far, is Jonathan Woodward who played "Charlie", the ill-fated all-American young man who accurately represents the situations of many of the drafted soldiers. I enjoyed the various perspectives as we see the citizen who so earnestly believes in his country only to be betrayed by it (Charlie); the draftdodger who escapes to Canada (Hairball); the protester thrown in jail (Judy); the teacher who lost her job over her opinions (Charlie's wife); and the various other character studies throughout the movie. The only sad part was that we spent four hours filming a five minute scene for a section of the movie and it was left on the cutting room floor! I wish there would have been a section on the DVD for extras such as history bites, cast interviews, and definitely those deleted scenes!

A so-so movie with a powerful leading cast.......2005-07-19

Although this movie gives a nice hint at what the atmosphere probably was in the early 70's, the directing is quite poor, and it's visually completely empty.
On the other hand, the writing is solid, and the dialogs sound real and above average (except for one of Jonathan Brandis' last lines - "Take care of that baby" - which is completely ridiculous. I mean, what normal mother wouldn't take care of her own child ???).
But the best is definitely the acting. Marin Hinkle gives an incredible performance, and Jonathan Brandis, although underused (again...), manages to show what a talented, smart and brilliant actor he was.
I'm warning all Brandis fans out there : The very last scene might steal one or two tears from you...

DVD:

DVD

DVD