NORTHFORK Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Michael Polish Producers: Michael Polish, Mark Polish, Todd King Writers: Michael Polish, Mark Polish Director of Photography: M. David Mullen Cast: James Woods, Mark Polish, Darryl Hannah, Anthony Edwards, Duel Farnes, Nick Nolte Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew

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Review by: Warren Curry
7/7/03

To me, the Polish Brothers are an enigma -- the creators of original, challenging, poetic films, which they seem to go out of their way to make inaccessible. The filmmaking siblings appear adamant to speak in their own language, neglectful of the fact that most will not be willing to translate their ideas. When their vision truly connects, as it does on a few occasions in their latest effort, Northfork, the result is surreally uplifting. It is these moments of genius that ultimately makes their work so frustrating -- three films into their careers, the Polish Brothers appear less willing to compromise than ever.

Northfork is the final chapter (Twin Falls, Idaho and Jackpot are the previous two) in the filmmakers' trilogy about the changing face of America's Heartland. Set in 1955 Montana, the film follows two stories. The first is of a sick 8-year-old boy, Irwin (Duel Farnes), whose adoptive parents abandon him, leaving their son in the care of Northfork's priest, Father Harlan (Nick Nolte). In his fevered state, Irwin hallucinates about a group of angels -- comprised of, among others, a legally blind, double amputee scientist (Anthony Edwards) and an androgynous parental figure (Darryl Hannah) -- who are traveling the area in search of a missing member of their flock. Irwin is guided to these angels by a bizarre mechanical dog-like creature, which is better seen than described.

Paralleling this story is the plight of the last remaining residents of Northfork, who are about to be flooded out of their homes. As part of a hyrdroelectric project, a dam is going to be constructed in the town, and while most of Northfork's citizens have left, a few stubborn folks won't budge. To help the resistors along, a group of six trench coat-clad men are hired as the "Evacuation Committee" in order to drive these people out. The escapades of a father and son evacuation duo, Walter (James Woods) and Willis (Mark Polish), are followed most closely. Each member of the committee is promised prime property once they are able to evacuate 65 homes.

The chief concern of the film is readily perceptible -- what happens to the little guy when the big guy decides he wants to take over? Seen through eccentric eyes of the Polish Brothers, Middle America is now reduced to the resident little guy in our society; the values and culture of small-town communities long ago steamrolled by the wheels of progress. Northfork is another in a long line of portraits of an America robbed of its innocence.

Michael Polish and D.P. M. David Mullen's spacious compositions go hand-in-hand with the tone of the storytelling. Going the extra mile to give the movie a de-saturated look, the color of nearly every object on screen is somewhere in the ten shades of the gray scale. It's Americana captured through a mystical lens, and the effect is often mesmerizing.

Unfortunately, the film is labored almost to the point of no return. It moves at the speed of a boulder being pushed up a mountain, and every time I began to feel as if I was hooking into the film's rhythm, it would decelerate even more, or meander off on a fluttering tangent. Adding to the lethargy are performances that are consciously studied and underplayed.

The Polish Brothers are neither cold intellectuals nor surrealists totally out of touch with reality -- at the end of the day, their films aren't completely confusing or impossible to decipher, but their approach could be so much more concise. Northfork's ambitiousness and inventiveness are hard to dismiss -- however, the filmmaking strengths of the Polish Brothers can come dangerously close to being eclipsed by their distracting art for art's sake aesthetic.

(A Paramount Classics release. Opens in New York and Los Angeles on July 11, 2003. Expands to more cities at later dates.)