directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher
October Country is as honest a portrait of an American
family (or any family, for that matter) that you are sure to find in recent
years, lovingly yet devastatingly realized by Michael Palmieri and Donal
Mosher. This doc tells the tale of the Moshers, a down and out family in New
York State coping with abuse, trauma and emotional withdrawal, seemingly doomed
to replay a pattern of tragic misfortune to the end times. Told over the course
of one year (Halloween to Halloween), October Country unfolds like a wrenching
tapestry comprising what it means to be a family, what it means to have it
rough and what it means to endure, even in the darkest of times. Estrangement,
loss and betrayal intermingle with love, affection and, in the case of the
vibrant and perceptive Desi, a lust for life that acts as a brilliant and much
needed ray of light into the gloom. The visual flourishes are hauntingly
beautiful; quiet and magnificent tableaus that comment on the almost
existential questions posed by the trials of Donal’s family. Are people fated
to relive past horrors, predisposed, even doomed, to suffer forever at the
hands of a cruel, cosmic mobius strip? These are heavy, burdening things to
contemplate, but October Country shines a light on the power that people have
to tow the line and manage through situations that most of us would consider
overwhelming, even hopeless. This phenomenal doc will leave you solemn, yet
satisfied, but I have said this before about other films: if you are simply in
the mood for a bit of light viewing, stick a pin in this one. If you are up for
it, though, you will not be disappointed.
This sounds very powerful and moving and I think I'll take your advice and only watch it when I'm in the right frame of mind....and while I'm on I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking a break from On The Road Again for a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI'll still be coming over here to see what you're up to and I'll let you know when I bring it back!
Paul.
Whew, that's good news. I was going to leave a comment on Mad Max 2 when I discovered that On the Road Again was nowhere to be found! I almost left another post titled "OTRA, where did you go?" I look forward to new installments from a fellow cinephile.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I loved your Mad Max 2 review.