MovieChat Forums > Time Indefinite (1993) Discussion > Please don't read this unless you've see...

Please don't read this unless you've seen the movie

posted 20 years ago by SurrenderToto
3 replies | jump to latest

I'm thoroughly ambiguous about this film. On the one hand, McElwee's solipsitic, obsessive and wobbly camera invasions of his family and life left me nauseous and claustrophobic for greater meaning. (Yes, Ross, if the needle in the vein left you sick to your stomach, how do you think it left we viewers?) However, once he left his own fruitless and dimwitted search for meaning among his personal fears and submission to the mindless pull of family and started concentrating on his friend Charleen and the family's longtime housekeeper and her family, the movie became a relevation and even moved me to tears and laughter.

In short, I went through a lot of pain and suffering with the filmmaker to arrive at joy, happiness and spirtual renewal with him. Though McElwee seemed as clueless at the end as to why he suffered, I was clear about his story.

If so many men, so many minds, certainly so many hearts, so many kinds of love.
~ L. Tolstoy

[–] rootbeerking12 16 years ago

I completely agree. A fabulous, heart-rending film about family and the natural pains one experiences in life and how we deal with these experiences. It's about growing old, alone and together, and withering. It's also about being born again; and hope. What a terrific, beautiful movie. Quite reminiscent of Herzog's documentaries closing with a contemplative shot: his baby looking up at him doubtfully. Highly reccomended to ANYONE who reads this.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] the sphynx 14 years ago

Just watched a whole bunch of McElwee movies in one weekend, including Backyard, Charleen, Sherman's March, and Bright Leaves, and I definitely concur that this is his best film.

If you haven't seen Michael Apted's Up series (7 Up, 7 Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up, and 49 Up) I cannot recommend them too highly.

Counting the Apteds as one documentary, albeit a very loooong time-lapsed one, I still would probably have to fill out my top five with Errol Morris's Fast Cheap & Out of Control and The Thin Blue Line, and at least one of Werner Herzog's making (Grizzly Man and Little Dieter Needs to Fly and My Best Fiend and Lessons of Darkness all rock), and maybe the terrific My Kid Could Paint That, which is fresh in my mind. But this one's a worthy contender.