Hearts of Atlantis. What a film! A poem! So true and natural like the way its actors performed. So beautiful and cruel just like life turns to be. Every moment of it is a sucess. The mood of the film is generally sad and nostalgic because it also stresses on the worth of the few moments of happiness. This contrast makes it particularly sad. It reminded me at times of the magic of my own childhood.
The story is about a boy who meets a mysterious man. He changes the boy's life in many ways, he is wise and mysterious, full of secrets and hidden abilities. He reads a lot and teaches the young boy to apreciate the value of books when his mother is lost in her own fake world, seeking worldly success and neglecting her son. But there is much more to it that the simple plot can confess.
When the film starts the boy is a grown up who comes to attend the funeral of one of his best childhood friends. There he gets to visit his old home and the story starts to unfold before his eyes, and our eyes as well!
Before watching this film and the beginning of it I was not sure I was going to enjoy it. The cover of the dvd is bizare, the old man in the film is also a weird person. The scenario does not clearly reveal who the man who didnt talk about his past was, but after the first half indications start to arise. It took me a long time to understand the meaning of the title "Hearts of Atlantis". In the end I was quite sure that this man had been a medium hired by the FBI during the "war against communism" as a newspaper in the film puts it. At times the film reminded me of another known film which is played by Sean Connery and an older young man whom he teaches to write I think. I just cant remember the title.
The old man is played by the great Antony Hopkins and the young talented actor is Anton Yelchin
3 comments:
Virus,
I’m so glad you liked that movie! Stephen King, one of my favorite authors, wrote it. Although his films historically never do well as movies, the other exceptions to this are The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me, both short stories by the same author. His earlier novels, like Carrie, Salem’s Lot, etc, were too horror-story genre for me, but the themes in his later stuff really appeal to me. I think that you might also enjoy reading The Talisman, as it is about a young boy and his relationship with his mother too, as well as good vs. evil, and all the other weird stuff Stephen King throws in. And if you really want some good heady reading, try The Dark Tower series. One of my all-time favorites. All of these stories are related by the way, which makes them kind of a cool insider thing for me.
BTW, my favorite line comes from that movie/book:
"It was his first real kiss, and Bobby never forgot the feel of her lips pressing on his - dry and smooth and warmed by the sun. It was the kiss by which all the others of his life would be judged and found wanting."
I found out pretty late that the story was written by Stephen King, even though some online reviews of the film claim that it does not have to do much with the book? I wouldnt know! I can imagine that King wrote nice stuff as well, its just this reputation about horror stories that always prevented me from reading him!
I remeber that quote about the kiss. its really amazing the atmosphere of this film.
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