Late September (15)

Further to my earlier review and following another viewing of this movie, I would rate it with 5 stars. It is hauntingly beautiful and lingers in the mind long after it has finished.

Having viewed this film at its opening, I am stunned to read Trevor Johnston's review in Time Out. Did he truly watch this movie, I wonder? If he did, then Time Out may have a problem with its film critic because he could not have been further off the mark. This film is beautifully directed with great sensitivity, drawing the viewer into its midst immediately. The acting is superb and so natural. But this movie goes far deeper than brilliant direction and acting. Its profundity operates on both an emotional and an intellectual level, and I urge anybody who has interest in Chekhov's key plays, most particularly The Seagull, to view it. It is compelling in its subtlety, but deeply moving, too, as the atmosphere gently washes over you. For me, its true value is its ability to recreate that rare atmospheric type of drama one associates with Chekhov, where silences frequently convey far more than words. One of the Russian Symbolist poets once described these silences in Chekhov as one person's soul communicating with another's. Such a comment is applicable to Late September, which is a complete gem. It would be a sad mistake to pass up the opportunity of viewing this film.

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