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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Moving and Imaginative, March 6, 2000
This is masterful and precious storytelling about two middle-aged people: a has-been actress and a homeless man whom she's bumped into on the street and mistaken for a movie director. Intrigued, hungry, and lonely, he assumes this director's identity and they spend the day together, deceiving each other in the most loving and heroic ways. This movie must be watched over and over again, listened to carefully, savored. The poetic honesty of the two lovers and the plight of the homeless men in the shelter where the man lives are all interwoven and depicted so fleetingly, so powerfully, that you'll want to stop the tape and rewind it in several places just to get the full impact of the characters and how they influence each other's destinies. The scuzzy realism of the homeless shelter is juxtaposed beautifully with the lyrical speeches of the lovers as they woo each other with their individual stories about life and disappointment and lost youth. But, they haven't lost hope, and that's why I adore this film. If you want to see a small, beautifully crafted film acted by two world-class Shakespearean-trained British actors in the lead roles, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bleak but interesting film about desperate people., November 28, 2000
Jonathan Nossiter's 1998 theatrical release "Sunday" might take some critisism from some, but at least it could never be called un-original! Fueled by some great performances from older-actors Lisa Harrow and David Suchet (Hercule Poirot from the PBS series "Poirot"), I found this to be some downright intriguing cinema! On it's surface, "Sunday" is a story about mistaken identity - an out-of-work actress mistakes a passer-by on the street as a movie director she met once, and the man decides to play along with her - leading to a rather strange Sunday spent together. However, as the story unravels we start to see into the characters wounded souls, and we ulimately get drawn into their bleak and desperate world. The man is currently living in a Presbyterian homeless shelter (for reasons that are revealed late in the film) and the woman is living in the shadow of an off-balance and controlling ex-husabnd. Be forewarned, this film is not one to spoon out easy answers, and along the way you will really start to wonder about the character's thoughts and motivations - Why does the man so willingly play along that he is someone else? Does the woman REALLY believe that this skittish man is a famous film director, or she just playing a game out of loneliness? We know that the man is just acting a part, but is the woman acting too? (She is an actress after all, and her motives are a bit cloudy!) This engrossing story is wrapped-around a subplot that deals with the other men back at the homeless shelter, and often the two storylines play in a sort of strange counterpoint with each other. Look for an almost unrecognizable Jared Harris (who made quite a convincing John Lennon in the made-for-cable film "Two of Us") in a supporting part as one of the homless men. Director Jonathan Nossiter has a good visual sense, and he sometimes throws in some images and sounds that are downright disorienting to the viewer...but with good reason! Sometimes the camera's jump back and forth between storylines, almost haphazardly it seems. Sometimes the picture goes blurry, or our view is temporarily obstructed, as we see things through our protagonist's damaged eyes...But take my word for it, as you get drawn into the story ALL of this will make sense in the context of this unusally poetic film! Nossiter was also a bit brave to include what must be the most unglamorous nude scenes ever committed to film (Lisa Harrow's old and bruised body is not exactly what we're used to seeing in hollywood films!), but it's just one of the many things that makes "Sunday" all the more "real". Some viewers may be dissatisfied with the film's somewhat abrupt ending, but once you take the characters into consideration, the ending will make a lot more sense! If you want a movie that is dictinctly different...go for it!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good one., June 16, 1999
A good one for those of you looking for an intriguing psychological plot set in a realistic style. Throw in a pinch of the unusual, a generous dose of pathos, a splash of sex, and ride along the edge of this winner.
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