Customer Reviews

Disappearances

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

What a delight! In a market where we excuse bad lines delivered by flat
characters for a few dozen more explosions, dazzling special effects, and everything else twenty million dollars can buy, I love Disappearances for its charm, its clever script handled by a well-appointed cast, and its beautiful photography.

The movie is thoroughly rural. Like the countryside where it was
produced, Disappearances unfolds itself slowly but magnificently. Do not expect to find your heart in your throat for two hours, followed by a climactic, tidy resolution to the cosmos. Disappearances tells a story of
father and son, and it is rightly more of a process than a particular event. In that regard, the plot development is stylistically closer to eastern European cinema than it is to its American peers.

With only a couple hitches (a couple characters are more prop than talent), Disappearances' strong symbiosis of script and talent is the film's greatest offering. The superb synergy of Farmer and McDermott with the others, the perfect casting of Sanderson to character, and an excellent performance by Kristofferson, have me pinching myself at times to remember these people aren't actually family. Disappearances ventures further, or more believably, into the psychology of its main characters than many American films dare go.

If the fact that Jay Craven was ambitious with his budget shows at times during Disappearances, it becomes more of a mark of honor than a detractor. This film is the antithesis to the contemporary action blockbuster. The film moves slowly at times, and the action is not always plausible, but the characters are enchanting. Besides, our suspension of disbelief in the cinema is an aesthetic choice above all, and I appreciate the way Disappearances, in its fusion of magic realism and frontier, challenges me to look at movies anew.

`Disappearances' is an enigma. Taking place during the Great Depression in Vermont, we get an outlaw caper and a tale of the supernatural. The movie is more worthy than not, but when it relies on the former, we get captivating adventure; when it relies on the latter we get more mood than substance. Kris Kristopherson, featuring one of his best performances in memory, leads an assorted cast through peril during the Prohibition.

Quebec's the name and making ends meet is the game. As his family farm loses collaterol and the money to buy hay for the animals, Quebec's stubbornness makes things even harder on the rest of family. After he runs out of honest means, he decides to go back to smuggling whiskey from across the border. The women folk don't like him much, but his son "Wild Bill" is the apple of his eye. Just like his own father, Quebec looks to his next of kin to be as much of a rascal as he is. For schooling, "Wild Bill" has elder Aunt Cordelia (Genevieve Bluteau) to rely upon at the school house. She tries to rear him as far away from his father and always warns him, "Always determine what your father would do in a situation. Then do the opposite." 'Paradise Lost' is a staple piece of literature she uses, but her actual presence seems to draw more from Uncle Henry (Gary Farmer), a Native American who runs a car dealership in town. As reluctant as everyone else, Henry agrees to come along and let him use his own precious vehicle. Along the way we first get a load of ponderous conversation that's meant to rationalize the whole deal, but the sets and costumes transport us nicely enough in a beautiful bar scene. Before we can judge the prize, we have to get a taste first afterall. And so does Bill. After they reach the border, the tension and ominous atmosphere rises as we go through the woods in the dark. They soon come across French Canadians, mounted police, and a group of monks who have their own angle on the whiskey trade.

`Disappearances' is an enjoyable trek to Vermont in 1932. It has the whole Western feel that isn't overdone or stale, but the causality of the supernatural doesn't seem to be planted well enough. Early on we get a cemetery scene where Aunt Cordelia explains to Bill that men just disappear. She whispers it, but we don't get much of an explanation. Later, at key moments she shows up to Bill along the trail. Is she a ghost? Is she a vision? We're not sure, except she gives Bill good advice. She's not all that different than Obi-Wan Kenobi, except at one point she brings a shotgun and becomes someone to be reckoned with. The effect is nicely done. We have a Native American feel as a white owl shows up as a foreboding of ill fortune, but it's not that consistent. At one point they have a train adventure; the next it disappears. Something Quebec acknowledges as well as Bill. Now it becomes puzzling. Is the movie a mood piece? Or is it a real cult adventure? If so what are the rules?

`Disappearances' is a well crafted Western (okay, Eastern) adventure that has enough elements to please, but it leaves all too many questions and inconsistencies to leave with the audience. When it's real, writer/director Jay Craven gives us a beautifully crafted film. When it's not, it's everyone for him(her)self.

Kingdom County is still a place of wonders.

Do not expect a straightforward story here. Different realities fade in and out of this movie. People come and go- and death isn't necessarily an end. It is alot like life, or at least life naturally perceived. You have an interwoven fabric of hard natural practicalities and of mystical insights. This is the way native Americans saw life, so too could some of european descent before the mass-brainwashing of the media- and this film is set in 1932 in the north woods before total brainwashing took hold. Kingdom county was disappearing, yet it was still a place of wonders.

This could be a mythic hero tale with William, his father, and their companions travelling North for adventure as much as whiskey- and finding much more than they originally bargained for. In the end some answers are found, some mystery remains, and some things melt away into the beyond.

The character of Cordelia sums up the movie when she instructs young William to never perceive the ordinary without also perceiving the extra-ordinary in it. Many realities exist around us- all of which are ultimately an illusion. And what is life without some mystery to it...

This is an example of American independent film making at it's finest. This is a real independent film, not one put out by a big studio with a fake Indie title. Directed by veteran director Jay Craven, this is one of a trilogy of films based on novels by Howard Frank Mosher. Craven excels at celebrating unique sides of American culture through compelling story-telling and gorgeous cinematography. His trademark style is full of colorful landscapes and fascinating characters.

The story here is based on whisky-runners, brilliantly portrayed be Kris Kristofferson and the rest of the excellent cast. There is even a hilarious role played by Luis Guzmán, of Boogie Nights fame. The story is surreal and full of depth, and not a typical watered-down Hollywood tale. You actually have to think when following the story line here.

If you are looking for something truly unique and interesting in Indie filmmaking and something that is fun for the whole family to watch, this is it.

On a final note, also check out Stranger in the Kingdom, Where the Rivers Flow North and his other films, which are also excellent.

I was delighted to find this movie the other day and snatched it up immediately. DISAPPEARANCES, a book by my favourite author, Howard Frank Mosher, was enough of a draw; and I knew without looking that it had to have been filmed by Jay Craven, who has an innate understanding of the proper way to handle stories by Mr. Mosher in film, having already done a credible job with WHERE THE RIVERS RUN NORTH.

I had the distinct and unique pleasure of working for Jay Craven in the mid-80s and got a taste of the man's style and drive for correctness even back then, though I was but a lowly projectionist and all-around worker at the arts house of which he was the head. He does not go about a project without considering all the angles; he doesn't choose easy projects either, but ones that are filled with quirky, interesting individuals in every sense of that word. In DISAPPEARANCES, he hits the motherlode. As Quebec Bill, Kris Kristofferson plays his role with an enjoyment (dare I say joie de vivre) and energy that shows he was just having a dandy old time. Charlie McDermott, who portrays his young teenage son Wild Bill, brings a poignancy and depth of character that isn't often seen to this degree in an unknown young actor. He is phenomenal in this role, which is very much a father-son journey towards manhood and towards understanding each other, with a firm base to start of love and regard.

Quebec Bill is a fretfully reformed whiskey runner in this far-northern Vermont community known as Kingdom Common. He ran whiskey, his father ran whiskey, his grandfather ran whiskey. Risk and adventure are neither new to him nor against his current principles. In this late point of time, he has apparently been retired from his dubious occupation for some time, but as a farmer he has fallen on poverty, is feeding his cows potatoes in lieu of the barnful of hay that lightning burned down, and he convinces his womenfolk - his barely-seen wife Evangeline and his oddly powerful mother, played with intensity and style by Genevieve Bujold (we don't ever see enough of her, a great actress) - to allow Wild Bill to accompany him on one last whiskey smuggling run into and out of Canada. The supporting cast are fantastic - Gary Farmer (Powwow Highway) as Uncle Henry, and William Sanderson (Deadwood, among a multitude of other excellent character roles)as Rat Kinnison, a permanently uncertain participant in the events that unfold while being indispensible in certain areas of expertise. The chief bad guy, a French-Canadian called Carcajou, seems to be an odd mix of the French taunters in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Rasputin, as it seems impossible to kill the guy off - but he fulfills a darker, sinister side, pursuing Wild Bill and his father relentlessly through the cold Northern territory to get his already-purloined whiskey back from them.

I am from this area, and watching this movie was like being there. The settings are superb, the characterizations are great (also loved Luis Guzman as the highly-improbable but hysterically right-on Brother Hilare); the one thing I might have toned back was Kris Kristofferson on fiddle. Even if I didn't play fiddle myself, his time doing so would have seemed contrived. I don't care for people impersonating an actual player but that's a very minor quibble. As far as fully enjoying the movie, I couldn't have been more involved. For the limited budget Jay Craven had, he made a helluva classy little movie.

This film is the perfect conjunction of superb performances by the entire cast and intelligent, sensitive writing. Father and son go on a quest - an ancient theme but beautifully detailed by incredible characterizations and pitch-perfect acting. To see it is not to forget it; there are images and moments which will remain with you. I know that DISAPPEARANCES will never disappear from my memory.There are outrageous scenes, scenes of family bonding, exciting scenes, earthily funny scenes - all informed by terrific writing and acting. See it.

I've heard the budget for this film was quite low but you would not for a second know it because of the stunning production design, good acting, filming and over-all feel. The locations bring you back about 80 years seemlessly. But it's not just this great use of available resources that makes this movie something to at least rent (or at the current price, buy) it's how unusual and independent, even surreal and mystical feeling this film is. Threre is such a range of people who I've showed it to recently, and all have liked it for the reasons I mentioned and countless more. If you want a sober and surreal departure from the ordinary sub-par and formulaic hollywood stuff, this is the film for you.

Absolutely magical. I do believe that this is a gem of a film and among the best that I have seen in years. It is a great story that in the end fills you with a great yearning. One of the best ensemble casts that I have ever seen. Outstanding performances by all. Brilliant performance and use of music. See it and tell your friends about it!

"Disappearances" is a film I'll show to as many friends as possible, and hopefully have many deeply stimulating conversations with others who are stirred and haunted - in a good way - by its magic and beauty. This has "cult classic of the best kind" written all over it, in the sense that it has everything you'd want from a ripping good yarn of a film, would appeal to someone who's favorite film was, say, "Raiders of the Lost Arc" or "Rio Bravo", but plays by its own rules and those *aren't* the rules that get a film a mega-promotional package. And that's exactly why fans looking for something new will love it, and why word of mouth on it'll spread. Writer-Director Jay Craven, working on a small budget, performs the tricky balancing act of capturing the excitement and suspense of the often over-the-top material, while maintaining a humble, understated, down-to-earth tone. Here we have bootleggers, drunken monks, drunken bootlegging monks, car and boat and train chases, a spectral witch who disappears and reappears in the damndest times and places to offer wisdom, an undead whisky-running pirate straight out of New England folklore with a gang of henchmen - seriously, what's not to like? - ... and as an enthusiast and former resident of Vermont, if I told you how much of this seems plausible, you wouldn't believe me.

The film captured everything best in the rugged, feisty, often adventuresome spirit of the state of Vermont, depicting an outlaw culture that thrived on the fringes of a fading northern frontier, personified in Quebec Bill, a farmer in the Depression who must revert to his old whiskey running practices to save the farm after his barn is struck by lightning and burns down. This guy's my new movie-character hero. His dynamic with friends/partners-in-crime Rat Kinneson (William Sanderson) and Henry Coville (Gary Farmer), of how buddies together in an outrageous, sometimes dangerous situation, each surviving and making sense of things in his own way while putting up with each other - to some degree surviving each other - is spot-on. Particularly that whole scene in the tavern, and the delivery of the line "Because I couldn't stand myself if I wasn't there to help you out of whatever you're about to get into." Kris Kristofferson is amazing as Quebec Bill, deepening my already considerable respect for someone who was already one of my favorite musical artists, as are Sanderson and Farmer in their respective roles. Years back, I had a chance to read the screenplay to this film before it was produced. As a fan of the TV show "Deadwood," when I found out Sanderson was playing Rat, I thought, "Damn, that's perfect!" And it's interesting to find Farmer in both this and "Dead Man", as I found that film tonally and thematically similar, in its dreamlike quality and embrace of fantastical, metaphorical imagery and mystery, things that aren't always explained, yet actively invite the audience to participate with their own imagination and come to their own conclusions. "Disappearances" is, however, far less brutal, as well as warmer and more inviting to like and identify with its characters. Quebec Bill and crew are guys I'd like to hang out with. By the end of the film, I wished I could stay in their world with them longer. It left me longing for the things in the world that have *disappeared& -- SPOILIER WARNING -- as symbolized by Bill and Cordelia literally doing so - END SPOILERS -- under the weight of "progress," even though only the ghosts of many such things have been around to know in my own lifetime. In that sense, I related to Wild Bill, and wanted to see where life takes him from there.

Also a delightful surprise is the film's handling of its demonic villain Carcajou, particularly Lothaire Bluteau in the role. In the novel and script, he was a far less developed, more hulking ogre-like monster, though clearly with a cunning brain. Here, he becomes something far more ambiguous and complex. I don't think I've seen this actor in anything else, though he should be seen more. Any time the character's on screen, you can't take your eyes off him. Moments like when he comes snarling onto the train waving that knife around were genuinely terrifying, yet there were other times when I felt a strange sympathy for him. I really wanted to see more of that character and learn more about him, though truthfully such a character is generally most effective when actually seen only in small doses, someone who becomes an ominous off-screen ever-presence, sort of like Dracula in Bram Stoker's original novel. And like Stoker's Dracula, Carcajou is in many ways a personification of unresolved things within the good guys, things they're not comfortable with, can't yet face within themselves, things they're running from, manifested as a physical boogie-man onto whom those fears become projected... someone from whom they must literally run. Such metaphoric exploration is what's always truly wonderful about the best fantasy in film and literature, light and dark. And "Disappearances" certainly ranks with the best!

This film was a fascinating journey with twists and turns. The title fits the theme of things in our life disappearing, family, a way of life, the past's values, family legend and folklore and the film weaves these themes together. It is beautiful story of a boy becoming a man, a man facing the end of his life, and one last journey. A wonderful film worth seeing with a great cast and a great story.