A story of a life and everything that comes after centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from a place between earth and heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Based on the novel by Alice Sebold.
This was an interesting choice for Peter Jackson as audiences know him only for his quirky horror movies, the dark crime drama Heavenly Creatures and of course, the epic and beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy. Because of his filmmaking past, there are several flaws with the movie which don't make it a bad film, but rather cripple its potential as an incredibly powerful, memorable endeavor.
One the flaws is Jackson's focus on visually striking but essentially meaningless CGI sequences of our heroine's experiences in the Between World. Instead of developing the characters who are still alive and grieving, our attention is shifted to ships in glass crashing unto mountains, golden forests, fields, and rapidly changing seasons. It's gorgeous to look at it, but it takes up valuable screen time.
Another problem I had with the movie was the relationship between our heroine Susie and her high school senior class. No time at all is spent developing their mutual attraction and so it plays out like every girl's fantasy; doe-eyed, British senior approaches much younger girl in school hallway, slips a love note into her binder, and almost kisses her. Unbelievable. The relationship extends beyond Susie's life on earth and continues to be unbelievable.
Stanley Tucci was magnificent. His subtle ticks made his character oh-so-creepy, from his shifting eyes, closed-lip "yummy" laughter, and sudden violent outbursts. It's not a surprise that the majority of acclamations for the movie are for Tucci, but scenes with a grieving Mark Wahlberg convinced me of his acting ability and Ronan, though at times a bit gooey, is remarkable for a fifteen-year old actress. Despite these positive qualities, the movie as a whole just felt a bit flat for its potentially wrenching topic.
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