182. End Of Sentence; movie review

 

END OF SENTENCE

Cert 15

96 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language

Yes, a film can be low-budget and low-key but effective.

There are no huge dramas in End Of Sentence but it does have a spark of originality and a finale which leaves the audience warm.

It stars John Hawkes as Frank Fogle whose wife (Andrea Irvine) dies of cancer after making one last visit to their son, Sean (Logan Lerman), in jail.

Her last wish is that the estranged father and son should travel to Ireland together to scatter her ashes at a remote lake.

To say the pair don't get along is a considerable understatement - Sean doesn't even want to speak to his father so the notion of a foreign road trip is rejected out of hand.

Frank is a pacifist who plays by the rules and sets about steady if firm persuasion to ensure his wife's request is fulfilled.

Eventually, Sean is left with Hobson's choice and they are off to the Emerald Isle where Guinness flows, songs are sung and tall stories are told.

Yes, Ireland provides an intriguing backdrop for these uncomfortable travellers.

I think it is obvious that the two will mellow towards each other otherwise the movie couldn't progress but the allure of the movie centres on how they find common ground.

Playing her part in pushing them along is a beautiful young woman (Sarah Bolger) who beguiles both men in very different ways.

Meanwhile, Sean is persistently pinpricking his father to go and grab life rather than let it happen to him and his dad is constantly demanding that his sons shows humility and respect.

Meanwhile, there is also an Irish wake, the surfacing of an old flame and even a couple of punch-ups.

End Of Sentence will be too downbeat for many tastes but I enjoyed the contrast between Hawkes and Lerman and, eventually, the way they bounce off each other.

It is a thoughtful drama and there are a few amusing moments which meant that it certainly was not too earnest.

Reasons to watch: Offbeat drama

Reasons to avoid: Meanders too much

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? A company called International Ash Scattering Society, based in Kansas, provides "compassionate and reliable scattering service in the location they loved."

The final word. Elfar Adalsteins: "For me it was, and still is, a revealing human study on family dynamics and how tangled up those nuclear relationships can become - the struggle between autonomy and affection, freedom and family ties. That’s very much at the heart of this story and that’s the element I profoundly identified with."

 

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