Debut writer/director Lance Edmands puts an admirable touch on his film Bluebird starring John Slattery and Amy Morton. The story and overall aura of the film feels more in line with films like Winter’s Bone (2010) and The Sweet Hereafter (1997) but lacking the emotional punch needed to grab the audience fully. Ultimately the film explores many of its central characters in an interesting manner but leaves many questions unanswered and not in the indie-flair way that can still feel satisfying. It’s the powerful performance of Amy Morton and the efforts of the rest of the cast that gives the film any lasting impression.
The film takes place in the frozen woods of a small Maine town. After Lesley (Morton) makes a tragic mistake that shatters the balance of the community, not even her husband Richard (Slattery) or her daughter Paula (Emily Meade), can rid her of the overbearing guilt that has taken over. As multiple stories take place including that of Marla (Louisa Krause), Crystal (Margo Martindale), and young Owen (Quinn Bard), all of their lives become connected in a way none of them could have imagined, perhaps forever. Read more on TRIBECA: Bluebird (**½)…
Tags: Adam Driver, Amy Morton, Bluebird, Editor, Editor Film Review, John Slattery, Lance Edmands, Louisa Krause, Margo Martindale
