Northfork

Credit has to go to the Polish brothers for being committed to their evident ambition of being art filmmakers. Following on from their Lynch-influenced previous efforts, Twin Falls Idaho and Jackpot they have finally managed to produce a film that is their own (and attract an excellent cast including Nick Nolte, James Woods and Peter Coyote, as well as Darryl Hannah, who also appeared in Jackpot).

Well-known American film critic, Roger Ebert, has hailed it as a masterpiece, but that is considerably overstating its merits and is no doubt based on the fact that he was privy to the brothers' intentions, something which is usually a positive influence on a critic's opinions. For that is the main issue with the film. Whilst stylishly spare in look, the brothers' chronic tendency to enigmatic allusion is likely to leave most viewers struggling to understand what the film is about, whilst their propensity for portenteous symbolism will alienate others as egregious artiness (the disaffected will probably claim that the film amounts to Wings of Desire meets Days of Heaven). Whilst the film's metaphysical aspirations are defeated by the brothers' synthetic proclivities some viewers, may, like Ebert, be enraptured by its ghostly mystifications.

If ever a film needed mediation by its makers it is this one. For those interested on the DVD release not only do the Polish bothers provide a rewarding insight into their film but an accompanying featurette, Bareknuckle Filmaking: The Construction of Northfork is a revealing account of the rigours of the production. There is also a short featurette about the boys taking the film back to their home town in Montana, the state in which it is set, to show it to the local cow-pokes. Unfortunately, there is no post-screening vox pop.

 

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