One of those slow, depressing character movies that is supposed to be powerful because it reaches some human truth you can't get in Transformers. Adapted from the novel PROVINCES OF NIGHT by William Gay. Stars: Hilary Duff, Val Kilmer, and Kris Kristopherson.
The story: EF Bloodworth returns home after forty years. The three sons he left behind are angry and bitter, but he forms a friendship with his grandson, a naive but handsome man who falls in love with the daughter of a whore (played by Hilary Duff). Unfortunately it turns out she is already pregnant and everything begins to fall apart.
Was it good?
No. At least not to me. I sometimes like quiet character pieces, but this one just did nothing for me. The only interesting part was the relationship between the grandson and the girl, but even that doesn't have any depth to it. They go out. He's a nice guy, but then she's pregnant and he has to figure out what to do. Meanwhile the grandfather is killed. Um...okay.
I'd guess the book gets to go into a lot more with the characters, the sons dealing with the pain of the father having left them, the grandson falling for the girl and all the trapped and painful feelings the characters have to work through. None of that really came through for me.
Probably the biggest bright spot was Hilary Duff. I know a lot of people rip on her for her acting (and no, she isn't great), but in a movie where every other character acts in the same grim manner, she was a natural bright spot that helped the movie from drowning in monotony. It reminded me some of Amy Adams in JUNEBUG (although not as good).
Unfortunately, that isn't enough for me to recommend the film.
*** AVOID ***
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