SYNOPSICS
Ill Fated (2004) is a English movie. Mark A. Lewis has directed this movie. Peter Outerbridge,Paul Campbell,John Callander,Nicki Clyne are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2004. Ill Fated (2004) is considered one of the best Comedy,Drama movie in India and around the world.
Mark A. Lewis's tragic-comic adventure ILL FATED plunges the viewer into the boxed-in world of Jimmy, a small-town teen who seeks a better life but who sees dead-end signs at every turn out of town. His vague plan to leave and "look into college" is complicated by a revolving door of small-town complications - the demands of his lumpen best friends, his troubled girlfriend, his promiscuous stepmother and cuckolded stepfather. But the biggest complication of all is the return of his womanizing biological dad Earl, who'd fled in Jimmy's infancy after impregnating the wife of a violent convict (also his best friend). Earl's return is a catalyst to disaster, and a palette for director Lewis to paint a hyper-realist picture of small-town dystopia.ul.
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Ill Fated (2004) Reviews
This unmistakably Canadian film is fantastic
This unmistakably Canadian film is a fantastic first feature effort by Mark A. Lewis. I can't wait to see what he does next. The film features consistently breathtaking framing with a lot of "big sky" that reminds me of Howard Hawks. There is a lot of attention paid to how the audience will relate to the characters through the lens. The writing is very strong. I recently worked with John Callander on my first short film and he's equally impressive as both actor and writer. Paul Campbell's performance as Jimmy is terrific. The entire team behind Ill Fated is worth watching closely. I have a feeling that most of them are only at the beginnings of what will be incredible careers.
backwater fellini
I've read a couple reviews. One was good and seemed to get it but the other was terrible - and in my mind way off base. The reviewer took the drama way too seriously instead of enjoying the vibrancy of the film and how *beeped* up this guy's situation is. I thought the film was hilarious. And refreshing in how the filmmakers broke the mold of a typical Canadian film. I like Canadian films but this one was ballsy; took a hyper-real approach... which I think is great. Think Fellini in backwater Canada. Historically, critics have always had trouble appreciating films that deviate from realism. The reason for this I think is that they're... critiquing. When a film is expressed through impressions of ideas or feelings (from surrealism to absurdism), the aesthetic can only be experienced through, for lack of a better word, feeling. The greatest filmmakers have fallen victim to this pitfall (from Fellini to Powell/Pressburger, to Kubrick and Wes Anderson). But regardless, it's the test of time that proves the worth of little films like this. We'll have to wait and see.
Pretty images but silly story that suffers from too many stereotypes...
Watched this film at the Filmstock festival in Luton, UK. Visually it looked good - the rural landscape made a beautiful backdrop but it's quite a ridiculous story that doesn't know if its a farce, a tragedy or a coming of age tale. Just read the plot summary - it's a bit ridiculous - and the blend of farcical Fargo-like antics of the characters really didn't ring true for me because the characters didn't seem so interesting as those in Fargo. It was hard to empathise with any of them, not only because they were all a bit f**ked up in their own way (except Jimmy's fat friend Clayton who I did warm to!), but because they weren't very well drawn as characters. In my opinion, this film also suffered from using a few too many well worn stereotypes. Jimmy feels trapped in the isolated rural community (peppered with "colourful" characters and redneck weirdos) in which he lives - as he sits fishing with his simple-minded friends he toys with the idea of running away to the big city and maybe going to college. So far, so typical. However, events conspire against him and begin to threaten his freedom and possible escape. His girlfriend Barb is included as one of these complications as she announces she is pregnant with his baby. It is the character of Barb that really troubled me. Teenager Barb has her own problems - she is also trapped in the small town with a violent father, a dumb ass brother, no hopes for the future and an accidental pregnancy to deal with. I'd say her situation is 100 times worse than Jimmy's, but her story doesn't really get explored enough. Instead the film generally shapes her as an alluring but whining girl who becomes the stereotypical nagging female trying to trap her man and limit his freedom with her demands. Are we meant to sympathise with Jimmy when he's about to run away from her and his responsibilities? Jimmy has certainly earned some of his father Earl's weaknesses and his propensity for running away from his problems. Both Jimmy and Barb are as "ill fated" as each other, but where the film allows Jimmy the potential for escape and education, it does not allow Barb the same possibilities. When Barb kills herself in the final denouement I felt that this was just a too convenient way to get rid of the complications in Jimmy's life so that he can make a fresh start. While Jan was indeed in a hopeless situation, no one mourns her death at the end - instead we just see Jimmy looking towards a potentially bright future, despite the pain he's helped to cause. This was an unsatisfying ending to a rather flawed film that couldn't decide what it wanted to be and ultimately ended up a bit of a mess.
commenting on "could have been a contender" from "scott_lewis"
I think "scott_lewis" (other viewer) should take another look at the ending. Not sure what they are referring to... and it wasn't as though the ending was ambiguous. The majority of the characters run off screen, chasing Earl down the hill in what is a terrific finale. All the characters except for Jimmy, Barb and Jennifer... when something horrific happens - but not in the way that the above writer thinks. I won't ruin it because it is a bit of a surprise... although in retrospect, inevitable. It's a hard ending, but necessary. And it really does tie everything together... particularly thematically. One of the main characters runs from the sins of his past (something I think most people can relate to, at least to a certain extent), however, this character experiences the consequences of his actions to an extreme... but this is storytelling... conveying poignant messages but in an exaggerated, dramatic, and, ultimately, entertaining way. By the way, I am a friend of someone who was involved in this film... but truly believe the above to be true.
I gave this film a 9 and I'll explain why...
I gave this film a 9... and I've also given a 9 to The Godfather, Dr. Strangelove, Pulp Fiction etc. Ill Fated is not as good as the aforementioned films... however, after seeing the film I felt just as satisfied as after watching the others. I was just so delighted to see a Canadian film so bloody entertaining and simultaneously so very profound. I've never been witness to an audience so moved by a Canadian film in all my life (and I've seen many - too many - Canadian films). This film won't make 100 million at the box office, but like Donnie Darko or Reservoir Dogs, Clerks etc. will inevitably find a huge audience (slowly but surely). I expect big things from the talent behind this one.