“And once again I lived as I dreamed.”
An excellent movie is a difficult thing to stumble upon nowadays. With every newspaper, magazine, website, blog, and café each having its own movie critic or film buff. On any day one can hear an opinion or a recommendation or a warning of a movie not yet seen. Through this the listener then makes judgments (often for the better) that help him or her decide on whether or not to see a particular movie. One is then guided to a particular movie that is considered good, and the movies that do not receive mention, well, they get passed up. These are the movies that, when found, can be the most rewarding. No one told you to watch it, it did not receive any praise you have heard of, and it becomes your movie. This happened to me today, and the film was NEVERWAS.
Zach Riley (Aaron Eckhart) is an up-and-coming therapist who gets hired at Millwood, a psychological hospital for non-functioning mentally ill patients, run by Dr. Peter Reed (William Hurt). Riley’s hidden agenda arrives at the fact that his father, children’s writer T.L. Pierson (Nick Nolte) was previously a patient at Millwood and had committed suicide when Zach was a child. Pierson was the author of the world famous “Zachary Small in Neverwas,” in which Zach was written in as the main character. Neverwas was a fantasy world that existed parallel with our own with fairies, monsters, knights, kings, and an evil wizard, Ghastly. Living in his old hometown, Zach meets a childhood friend, Maggie (Brittan y Murphy), who has become an avid collector and fan of all things Neverwas. While working at Millwood, Zach discovers a schizophrenic, Gabriel Finch (Sir Ian McKellen), who helps Zach discover that there could be more to his father’s book that he was believed.
There is so much good in this film. The performances by Aaron Eckhart, Sir Ian McKellen, William Hurt, and even smaller roles by Brittany Murphy, Jessica Lange, and Alan Cumming all work so well. A cast of supremely talented actors and actresses was a major benefit for first time director Joshua Michael Stern. This film was finished in 2005, and benefited from a soon to be star in Aaron Eckhart, capitalizing on his critic pleasing, tongue-in-cheek performance in THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. He plays his role with a passion and confidence that has become his calling card in his well-established career. The biggest piece of the acting cake goes to Sir Ian McKellen though. He does not disappoint. Whether he’s playing Gandolph, Magneto, or the great James Whale in GODS AND MONSTERS, the man performs the smallest of scenes with a kinetic but quiet ease while unleashing all of the pent up energy into an explosive bravado worthy of Lawrence Olivier, Kenneth Branaugh, or Peter O’Toole.
The cinematography and set design deserve recognition as well. Each scene is filmed in line with the tone and theme of the film, which is common sense to cinematographers, but when coupled with wonderful art direction and set design it becomes incredible. The hospital scenes are filled with the feelings of isolations and desolation without the nostalgia or warmness felt throughout the rest of the film. The only exceptions to these scenes are in Zach’s (Eckhart) office when he is in session with Gabriel (McKellen). These scenes are very natural. The lighting is warm and the air throughout feels nostalgic. The scenes in the mountainous countryside are gorgeous. Each shot utilizes the beauty and elegance of the locales, bringing the nature into the film almost as a character. Assisting these wonderful visions is the score by Philip Glass. Glass is by far one of the most influential and inventive composers alive. He has scored for DRACULA (the restored soundtrack), THE HOURS, and KUNDUN as well as compose numerous classical compositions with incredible performers, his work with Kronos Quartet are personal favorites. The quick, fluid piano and bells accompanied with the slow legato of the strings really accentuating the memorable themes throughout really help make this powerful score.
Now on to the movie itself. See it. When seen on the shelf, NEVERWAS is not a film that grabs your attention. The cover art is not good. It looks like a typical hyper-optimistic fantasy film which it could not be further from. It is kind of dark and it deals strongly with psychological issues, both diagnoses and deep-seeded daddy issues. But it is not too heavy either. Director Joshua Michael Stern, who also wrote, does a solid job at keeping the tone balanced and entertaining without making the film too brooding or too bright and cheery. It is an original take on a theme that is familiar. NEVERWAS is similar in theme to FISHER KING and PAN’S LABYRINTH, but closer in tone to FINDING NEVERLAND, another tale of writer and his inspiration which I love.
Now to the bad stuff. I know, I’ve been gushing over NEVERWAS for 800 something-odd words, but it is not perfect. At times, just a few, the film is wrought with a little too much emotion. Certain scenes do not necessarily feel heavy, but they do feel too emotional. This is due to a script from a young and inexperienced writer, who also directs, but that does not decrease the value and splendor of the film as a whole. Also the performances by Murphy and Hurt feel a little too much like an actor’s exercise. They kind of just read their lines and did the motions. Also, the film took a little too long to end. That is not saying the it is too long because I wish its 1:48 runtime was actually 15-20 minutes longer, but the climax through felt like it dragged a little.
NEVERWAS is neither fantasy film nor a children’s fairy tale. It is a worthwhile film that is inspiring, beautiful, and features some great talent in front of and behind the camera. This is a magical psychological thriller that is clearly aimed at adults, but reaches into his or her childhood, retrieving some of the magic left behind. You will fall in love with it.
See it for sure! I promise you this one is good! It has been aired on STARZ as well as on Netflix, both streaming and for delivery.
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