I like picking up random movies I've never heard of, to see what I think. This was one of them. I went in with no expectations and was still disappointed. If anything, I can usually get amusement and a laugh out of a strange movie, but this fell flat on all marks. The acting was bad because it was so flat. ...it was really bad. The story just kind of existed, and wasn't interesting in any way. Things progressed very slowly, which is fine in itself, but there was basically no feeling of anticipation. Now, I like off-beat stuff, but this, I just couldn't get into. I think it tries to be artsy at times, or something, I'm not really sure what to think about some of the scenes. It was just plain boring.

I'm giving it a 2/10 simply because I was able to finish the movie, and because I've seen worse. But make no mistake... This movie is quite bad. And not even in a funny way. I was having a hard time even picking a rating for this movie. It's kind of like watching an instructional video for your new Singer sewing machine- it's not really something that you rate. It just kind of... Exists.

This is one of the strangest movies I've ever seen. Half the time you can't tell if you're watching a dream sequence or it's actually part of real time. It may be all my fault. I enjoy the classic movies from the 40's and 50's with stars like Greer Garson, Robert Mitchum, James Stuart, John Wayne , Gregory Peck, etc. I was saddened to see one of Chuck Connors last acting efforts be such an embarrassent.

A sort of mix of 'Bagdad Café' and 'Three Women' set in Alaska. k.d. lang plays an androgynous miner who falls in love with a straight, private, local German librarian. They both have muddy, tragic pasts that slowly emerge.

There are some deeply moving moments, and some wonderful slightly magical realist touches. The cinematography is very good. But while lang does a decent job, I can't help thinking a stronger, more experienced actress could have brought out even more in this amazing role.

That said, I did enjoy this much more on a second viewing. While it bothered me that it felt at times like Adlon was trying to re-create the magic of 'Bagdad Café' (odd, surreal setting, quirky out of place characters, cinematography that uses color in exaggerated ways for effect, etc.) overall I found myself more able to just let go and accept this tale on its own merits. And doing that, it made me smile.