[THE LONG DAY CLOSES screens Saturday July 14th at 5:15 pm and Sunday July 15th at 6:30 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.
English filmmaker Terence Davies is not
terribly prolific, but, rather like American namesake Terence
Malik, has compensated with a unique style and thoughtful maturity
that rewards the viewer for any overly long intervals between
features. THE LONG DAY CLOSES (1992), a heavily
autobiographical story of a sensitive boy growing up in Liverpool not
long after WWII, is my favorite of what I've seen of his work, and
like his breakthrough DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES - an
art-house darling in its day - has very little of a strong
forward-motion narrative; it was mainly about moods and emotion.
THE LONG DAY CLOSES, a sort-of sequel, is even more
refined, verging on very nearly plotless. Yet I dug it.
