I just returned from an afternoon at Filinvest Alabang where I caught "Fierce People". The main reason I went to see this severely underpromoted film is Diane Lane, one of my favorite female actors.
Well, since I scarcely had an idea on this movie, save a few blurbs from a year or two ago, I went in there thinking she was the lead character. She's not, Anton Yelchin (kid from "Hearts in Atlantis") is.
Set in the Summer of 1980, Finn (Yelchin) and his mother (DL) move into a rich benefactor's (Donald Sutherland's "Ogden Osborne") estate to rebuild their crack-damaged New York life. Later, Finn wins old man Osborne's affection and soon the latter takes him under his wing much to Bryce's (Osborne's grandson played by Chris Evans) chagrin and extreme, albeit supressed, jealousy.
To keep this entry spoiler-free, I'll move on to talking about other aspects of the film.
Yelchin reminded me a whole lot of a young Crispin Glover. The voice, the gestures. DL gets jumped by a guy again that it's almost like a staple in her movies. But she puts up a good performance enough to forgive last year's Must Love Dogs. And then you have Donald Sutherland who is simply great. It's impossible to fault him. He played his part with equal amounts of authority and pathos you never see on other actors anymore.
As for plot, it was not as engaging as I'd expected. The production design, however, was commendable. They were effective in creating a miserable look and feel vis-a-vis old money.
See this movie if you want to spend 90-plus minutes dissecting the symbolism and discourse. Watch out for the Pinoy extra who plays a Shaman in a few scenes. He speaks Tagalog.
