My Rental Queue: ON THE EDGE (2001)
Director: John Carney
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Tricia Vessey, Stephen Rea, and Jonathan Jackson.
Plot: Suicidal patients discover their true selves while going through therapy in a treatment center.
Review: After discovering the wonderful work of John Carney on “Once”, I decided to look at another film he had made. After watching ON THE EDGE, I am officially a fan of John Carney. This is another one of the best films I have seen this year. It was a very simple, yet effective movie. No special effects, but a strong storyline and strong actors made this film so much more enjoyable than pretty much all the movies I have seen lately.
I did not see the time go by because all the characters drew me in completely. You share their pain and joy and you get a feel of what it’s like to be locked up in a mental institution. However, this mental institution is different because it feels like they are living in a house, except that they wear their pajamas all the time – so that we can tell who’s a patient and who’s a civilian. This plays an interesting part in the film because for them, pajamas gain a negative connotation and they dress up when they are in their room to feel like they are normal.
It was a very inspiring film and reminded me why I love to go to the movies.
The film also starred an actor I really admire: Cillian Murphy. Even though it was one of his early films, you already see the qualities that make him as star today. After seeing him in On the Edge, I have even more respect for him now.
Finally, just to show you how much I loved this movies, I even bought the DVD, that’s how much I loved it.
