Drowning on Dry Land

Amazon.com

With only a handful of films, director Carl-Jan Colpaert has established himself as an original--undisciplined and overly whimsical, perhaps, but possessed of playful irony, a fondness for quirky development, and a fine eye for how figures look best silhouetted against an unvaried patch of nature. Previously he made comical neo-noirs that spun the genre's conventions every which way but straight; here, working from a romantic and melodramatic screenplay written by others, he perhaps unfortunately sobers up. Barbara Hershey stars as Kate, a successful Manhattanite fed up with her cycle of abusive boyfriends, who one night hails a taxi and demands that the driver Darshan (Naveen Andrews) take her away. Out of that place, out of this town, out as far as the Arizona desert. After brief negotiations, he surprisingly agrees, and soon Kate is lying in the back seat with dark glasses on while behind the wheel Darshan squints against the broiling sun. Between the two there are of course antagonistic debates, glimmerings of mutual respect, self-righteous declarations that each couldn't possibly understand where the other is coming from, and a brief, angry coupling on the car hood. Hershey does what she always does, pitting her intelligence and sexuality against one another; Andrews has been cast as idealized fantasy object before and comfortably slouches through this not-too-demanding role. Colpaert delivers some nice visuals but seems uninspired to do much more. An interesting and slightly offbeat film, but still a disappointment from such a wildly offbeat director. --Bruce Reid

Customer Reviews:

better than what's said about it.......2004-01-24

this will be a very short review.The movie worked if you have patience,and the actors earn your attention.There was good chemistry between the two characters.ever see "Waiting for Godot"?This ain't a bad movie at all.She's done worse.

Oh, dear...what were they thinking?.......2002-09-30

Who greenlighted this dreadul spin on THELMA & LOUISE meets ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE!?? The wasted talents of Barbara Hershey and Carol Lynley are only the top of the list of problems with this one... Poor direction, sloppy Script Supervision and overall pointlessness make this entirely forgettable. .. Bizarre!

Insomnia? This is better than Sominex..........2002-05-07

The only reason I purchaed this video was for the appearance of the fabulous Carol Lynley -- whose tiny role was cut to "don't blink or you'll miss it" status.

As much as I love both Barbara Hershey and Naveen Andrews (whose doing-the-nasty scene atop the hood of the taxi was the only thing that perked me up for a few brief moments), I can't find a single thing to recommend the rest of the movie, which is simply long, slow, and mesmerizing in its pointlessness. I don't know if the problem is in the writing or the direction -- I was too glazed over by the end credits to make a sound judgment.

Worth it only if you need to complete your video collection for one of the aforementioned stars -- or if sleeping pills just don't work for you.

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