Vanished Acres
Widowed farmer, Jerod Grot (John Riley) lives alone in his farm, a pale shadow of its former self, now overrun by crows and vermin.
Grot, too, is a pale shadow of his former self, living alone with his memories and only his scarecrow (Matthew Solari) for company. As he looks back towards the happy memories of the past, his life has become a steady grind, each day much the same as the last.
Things change irrevocably when Grot discovers a love letter from his deceased wife, which is not addressed to him.
There is a lot going on in Vanished Acres but, at its heart, this is a film about loss, loneliness, regret and letting go of the past. Until he discovers the letter, Grot really has been wasting his life – looking backwards while his farm steadily goes to ruin and his friends steadily give up on him.
The discovery of the letter gives Grot the kick he needs and, from here on in, the film goes in a number of directions, some of which were quite unexpected. But writer/director, Adam Bolt takes great care to ensure that everything remains consistent within the dream-like reality of the film and to pull all of these strands together to provide a solid and satisfying ending.
But what really makes this film stand out is the engagingly down-at-heel atmosphere that permeates the entire film. Jae Hyuk Lee’s understated cinematography beautifully captures the mood of the film, and conveys a great deal of insight into Grot’s state of mind.
The score, too, is both sparse and appropriate. As with the rest of the film, the sparseness points to a great deal going on underneath and adds immeasurably to the atmosphere as a whole.
Vanished Acres is a well written, well acted, well directed and thoughtful film that contains some genuinely powerful moments. It’s an original and moving film and one that is well worth getting hold of.
Thursday 25 Oct 2007 | Paul Pritchard | Drama, Fantasy
