Take (2008)

That was an excellent one.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

I caught this little indie flick off HULU a couple days ago, and wow!- what a powerful film this turned out to be. Two great actors- Minnie Driver and Jeremy Renner- star as a struggling mom and a thief on the verge of getting possibly executed, whose lives collide all over the course of one day. The film is mostly done in flashback sequences, and it confused me a little at first until I realized the scenes with Renner on the "inside" are the present-day ones. The film starts out a little slow, but once it gets going, you really find yourself absorbed in their lives. Renner is just great in roles like these, sort of a weasily-type character, but you still find yourself empathizing with his character, and hoping things will turn around for him. The role is something similar to the kinda character Al Pacino may have done in the '70s, like "Panic in Needle Park" or "Dog Day Afternoon". Definitely worth checking out...

I thoroughly enjoyed Take. It was a different experience for me than any other movie I have seen. After reading the Take website (takethemovie.com), I was very concerned about ruining my macho image by crying. It turns out that I did not cry but was profoundly and deeply moved by the movie (way beyond crying). I was riveted to the screen throughout the movie and at the moment of resolution, I found myself understanding life from a deeply new perspective. Take helped me to think more deeply about my relationships with those who have been a source of grief in my life. I think I will be a little bit better person for having seen Take.

Watching this film truly is an experience. It works on so many levels. It is heavy (appropriately) but it's accordingly powerful and meaningful. And even though the ending is what we feared it must be all along, the weight of the subject matter is somehow lightened as the credits roll, and we find reason to hope and believe that good can be found in even the most terrible situations. This film was clearly crafted with fierce attention to detail, and the combination of direction, cinematography, performance, and sound is wonderful to take in. For me, it is truly amazing that this film was helmed by a first-time director. There's confidence and clarity in the way the audience is carefully guided through the various environments of the film, and it's obvious (though not overbearing) that, again, no detail – visual or aural – was overlooked. The principle players particularly bring real weight and believability to their characters, and for me they conveyed a sense of familiarity, a feeling of real life that rang true, even though I thankfully haven't had to experience the majority of what these people go through. The film leaves you with many things to think about – valuable things – and reason to empathize somewhat with someone that maybe you wouldn't have given much thought to a little less than two hours before.

Heavy subject, but wonderfully executed. There was enough detail to make the story line real. I loved the "real" feeling of the cinematography as well, it made it more believable. The actors came across as real people. The movie did a good job at letting the audience get to know the main characters - which was absolutely vital for this movie to be a success. I think this movie will be better the second time around - all truly good movies are - as you catch even more of the details. I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 because there were a couple of scenes where the acting was a little bit bland/did not quite hit the mark. This is a movie I would recommend to friends and it is a movie that keeps you talking and thinking long after you have seen it. I am so glad I got to see it. I can't wait to see it again.