"Smudged"
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What You Need To Know:
All of this angst is filmed in the arty manner of a graduate from a major film school. There are moments of brilliant dialogue. Some of the acting is superb. The direction is too self-absorbed, but clearly the director has talent. However, this biography of a dysfunctional family is dysfunctional in itself. This is a family which has no notion of God’s love and grace. They have been corrupted by the forces of modernity. They reflect the consequence of the cultural war against values which has ravaged the country. This would have been cutting edge in the days of Edward Albee. Now, this movie is merely an exercise in pathos
Content:
(Pa, C, AB, LLL, V, SSS, A, DDD, M) Pagan worldview with some Christian references as well as anti-Christian attitudes; 23 obscenities & 23 profanities; 2 emotionally violent encounters − one where man confronts girl & the other where son confronts father; no nudity; several scenes of clothed fornication; alcohol abuse; chain smoking & marijuana use; and, lying & deceit
More Detail:
The beautiful bucolic background of northern New England is the setting for a Thanksgiving family reunion in THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS. As the movie opens, home movies of a child’s birthday party fade into a young man, Warren (Noah Wyle), who seems to be talking to his therapist, telling him what a wonderful life he has and that he is going to go back home to visit his family for Thanksgiving.
When Warren arrives home a day early, his father (Roy Scheider) hesitates to open the door, suggesting that all is not right with this New England family. Dad explains to his wife (Blythe Danner) that all he wanted was an extra day to refinish the dining room table. The next day, Warren’s sister, Mia (Julianne Moore), shows up with her boyfriend, Elliott. Warren’s youngest sister, Leigh (Laurel Holloman), waits for Mia at the train platform and happens to see through the open train window Mia and Elliott fornicating in the bathroom on the train. Next, we cut to Warren’s brother, Jake (Michael Vartan), with his girlfriend, Margaret, fornicating in the woods by the side of the road a few feet from their car and the passing traffic.
As soon as all the siblings gather, the movie starts to reveal the jaded family history. It seems that three years earlier dysfunctional dad made a pass at Warren’s true love, Daphne (Arija Bareikis), and so Daphne abandoned Warren to his self-pity because Warren wouldn’t stand up to his father. His father now suffers from bouts of insanity. Mia, in turn, is suffering from intense anger. Leigh has become the caregiver to everyone in the family. Mother is in denial. Finally, Jake is in lust.
All of this petty dysfunction is filmed in the arty manner of a graduate from a major film school who is searching for kudos from the self-proclaimed intelligentsia. There are moments of brilliant dialogue. Some of the acting is superb. The direction tends to be too self-absorbed and arty, but clearly the director has a lot of talent.
However, this filmed biography of a dysfunctional family is dysfunctional in itself. This is a family which has no clue about God and His love and grace. They are corrupted by modernity and the forces of modernity. They reflect the consequence of the cultural war against values which has ravaged America.
These people hardly care for one another, and the audience hardly cares for them. This would have been cutting edge in the days of Edward Albee. Now, this movie is merely an exercise in pathos. It may receive kudos from the politically correct media, but THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS will soon be forgotten as more dust settles over this landscape devoid of truth.
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