If I could review this movie based purely on style, I would give it a perfect 10. Yes, the cinematography is quite amazing. There are details that I imagine would jump out at you the more times you watched the film. There seems to be two ways of looking at this movie: a work of art, or a work desperately needing to be art.

I fall into the latter way of thinking. Every scene in this movie cried out desperately to be recognized as a work of art. I found myself laughing at scenes I knew were meant to be dramatic, and frowning at the so-called humour. Maybe I didn't get it. I doubt the writers/director want you to get it.

But I have to admit, I can't stop trying to understand what it was I didn't pick up on...

In this film, a small town dies and a power source is created. So what is the big deal? The big deal is that for the people who grew up and lived in that small town. Now, it will be gone forever, as if it never existed. I can completely relate to the plot of this film. I was raised in a small town just like this one, but in the suburbs of New Jersey. Now called Woodland Park, by the swells from the Westmount Country Club, who owned all the valuable property in the area near Garrett Mountain. They had the political pull and money to get the town name changed from West Paterson to Woodland Park, a much nicer name that yuppies could be proud of, instead of the working class neighborhood that West Paterson, Great Notch Gardens, and other places close by used to be. Now, West Paterson, and all the histories of all the working class families who lived in that area are gone forever; including my family. The Pedottis, the Hullahs, the Lamberts, the Taferos, the Vitans, the Van Winkles, the Klems, the Dachinos, the Kings, the Sheas, the Zambinos, the Prices, the Gallaghers, the McKernans, the Banniers, the Ruanes, the Furlongs, the Schoenfishes, the Barkers, and several more families whose names have now become a dim memory. All of us were displaced by these yuppies who came ten years after we opened up this territory for settling. Our fathers started little leagues, and playgrounds, and boys clubs. Our mothers had big family picnics at Saint Bons Church, were Cub scout leaders, and swam at the Ressy (the local watering hole that served as our drinking water as well). I never had water as good as I drank in West Paterson. And now its Woodland Park. Shame on you for destroying the memories of a great little town in North Jersey.

PS The film is pretty offbeat and different. Nick Nolte as a priest is quite a stretch, but he pulls it off. A very esoteric film.

In 1955, a dam is soon going to flood the town of Northfork. Walter O'Brien (James Woods) and his son Willis O'Brien (Mark Polish) are two of people brought in to push the last hold-outs to evacuate the town. They have convince a religious family unwilling to leave. Father Harlan (Nick Nolte) is staying behind to take care of sickly orphan Irwin who shows signs of being an angel.

The whole movie is stuck in an unmoving dream state. It's hard to follow the kid's narrative because it's all so surreal. Daryl Hannah is fascinating but WTF is she? It lacks tension because it's obviously something unreal. The evacuation crew is a little easier to invest in and the God discussion is oddly fascinating. I've certainly heard that story before which makes the awkward telling rather memorable. I wouldn't recommend this for the casual movie goer. It's a little weird.