Customer Reviews

Down Came a Blackbird [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The feelings and attitudes of the characters toward their experience as victims of torture are thoughtful and compelling. Torture scenes are difficult to watch (the worst moments are left to the audience's imagination) but are tempered by the flashback context. Best performance Laura Dern has ever given.

A story which really gets under your skin! I work with refugees who have been tortured and abused and I recognized many of the reactions the different characters had in the movie.
It was a very believable cast, and although the story skips back and forth between past experiences and present it is not disturbing as it moves the story forward. Also, this is what it is like for many survivors of torture... They can't tell their whole story in one sitting as it is too painful. Maybe it would be for the audience too!

Not to take anything for granted is a valuable story to learn. As well as to realize that there are as many reactions to torture as there are people.

An interesting twist at the end emphasizes the problematical trust-issues many torture survivors grapple with. That's important because it seems through my professional experience that this is the one thing people really struggle with when they are survivors. How do you know who to trust and who not to trust? To a survivor of torture this can be extremely hard to handle as the feeling of "Nothing and no one can really be trusted" seems common. And what may happen to survivors if they start trusting the wrong people? Remember, once everything the survivor believed about other people, proved to be not only wrong, but extremely dangerous.

Watch the movie if you want to understand more about the issues of torture, abuse and healing!

Such a touching story. And Laura Dern's presentation is right on. Not a film for people without sentimentality. And the twist at the end is fab. But again emotionally believable. Everyone is this film seems to be from an acting achool of excellence.

As one reviewer pointed out..blotchy.
Laura Doern does an excellent job....but can't save this film.

The men chasing one of the characters are meant to be menacing but they come off as inept....as if lost.
Raul Julia could have done this role in his sleep.
The mark of a good film IMHO is that it should leave you 'feeling' something. It did...the feeling of being let down.
No good reason to own this flick.
Perhaps the real torture in this film was watching it. Maybe I should remove 1/2 a star.
Much of this film was shot in Toronto...so that kept me somewhat curious.

Honestly I do not remember the plot. Was there one? We liked Raul Julia and will miss him. He has turned in better performances.

I had never seen Raul Julia (sp) before this film and I thought he was awesome. I never much cared for Laura Dern but this film seems to be her masterpiece.

Don't watch this film unless you are willing to focus on something/feelings that are disturbing.

I highly recommend it.

I saw this movie and I thought it was terrible! It was sortof blotchy. Some parts weren't there that needed to be....... It just wasn't very good