This movie is remarkable. Iād like to warn that it was also one of the most depressing films Iāve ever seen⦠but oh so good, I promise you that. āWhere Is Kyraā was very well done and the bleak, cloudy atmosphere created was so alluring that I couldnāt look away. Iād like to say it was an exceptional film.
Itās macabre and thought-provoking, sincere and honest in its description of what someone will do and who theyāll become when faced with severe adversity. IĀ wouldĀ use the word exceptional but for one choice director Andrew Dosunmu made that had me cringing when this action occurred in his film. Yes, cringe, and not in a good way. An absolutely terrible noise would accompany scenes where Kyra (Pfeiffer) was impersonating her dead mother.
Iām quite sure it was done to keep the audience on the edge so there was cause for it but it was so absolutely annoying and incredibly irritating that, for me, it not only dropped the grade down a touch but had to be mentioned to you. The audience is already mesmerized and get the point, Dosunmu. You donāt need to use sound to attack those who might have missed it. Trust me⦠no one missed it. The film is good without its use to influence us.
The lighting was dark and set the tone beautifully, but I will add this, the film is a bit too slow early on for the average moviegoer, however, I implore you to keep watching. That alone should never be a reason to avoid watching a film. Itās okay to allow a director to set the stage for you. Iāll try and do the same here.
The aforementioned Kyra, who Michelle Pfeiffer nailedĀ superbly, is a divorced woman well past her prime. Sheās living in Brooklyn and wants independence but with limited skills for todayās needs, she is having trouble finding a job that will keep her afloat. She moves into her elderly mother, Ruthās (Shepherd), apartment and helps take care of her. These scenes, one of them with a very brave and very nude Suzanne Shepherd, are tremendous and the connection they have is evident as Kyra helps Ruth in and out of her bath, keeps her company⦠expresses to her how much sheās loved. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Ruth dies. Kyra is alone and for the first time feels abandoned. She looks around her motherās home where her mother no longer resides and breaks down. Not only has Ruth left her but the financial support she was able to get is gone, too. What to do?
She meets up with one of Ruthās neighbors, Doug (Sutherland), who also happens to be a caretaker at a nursing home. Heās had a checkered past but has found helping people to be cathartic and rewarding. He genuinely cared for Ruth and decides to do what he can to help her daughter. Theyāre physically attracted to one another, as well, so they begin to have a much deeper relationship thatās mutually beneficial. She opens herself up to Doug but when she gets so desperate for money as to do the unthinkable, sheās afraid of losing him so she keeps it a secret. Sheās aware of the fact that what sheās doing can get her into bigger trouble but sheās not finding a job and doesnāt want to risk the relationship. She refuses to ask too much of Doug as sheās prideful to a degree so she tries her best to make it on her own, however, bills are stacking up and itās time to act to remedy the situation. The rest of the movie is truly captivating and, largely, grueling but you will not get up until the credits roll. Not for anything. Phenomenal.
See this movie. Amongst a world of remakes and reimaginingās itās quite unique and youāll do a lot of thinking long after the film is over.
Playing exclusively now atĀ Harkins Camelview at Fashion Square. Donāt miss it!