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Poster (c) Paramount Classics
Northfork is a perfect example of how many times it�s better to trek an extra few minutes to go to an art-house film instead of the latest Jack Black movie. The plot isn�t some hackneyed, cookie-cutter plot; it�s just so strikingly original. A small town in Montana named Northfork has a dam nearby that is about to be taken down. Therefore, the entire town must be evacuated. Some people, however, just don�t want to leave. In a side plot, a young orphan (Duel Farnes) is very sick and bedridden; he�s being taken care of by Father Harlan (Nick Nolte). The boy imagines himself as a fallen angel, so to speak, who help him out through his time of sickness.
Although much of the movie is straightforward, some of it could give David Lynch a run for his money. There�s odd weather patterns, a weird, wooden, huge dog thing, and symbolism that would make Fellini proud. It�s not as overall confusing as a Lynch film, but it�s still quite odd. That�s what makes Northfork so great: it�s so out of the ordinary and yet so simple and plausible.
Northfork has a magical feel to it: it�s almost like you�re watching something you�re not quite sure what it is but you feel entranced by it. As I said earlier, I agreed with Ebert on how this movie is unlike any other. However, I disagree when he says that it is �not entertaining�. He goes on to say it�s just �enthralling.� Perhaps he just thought he should give it good reviews because everyone else is, but in lieu of how slow it was, I still thought it was very entertaining, something many dramas now can�t do.
Northfork may not be the quickest movie or the most popular movie, but if you can get to and through it, you�ll be extremely surprised, as I was.
Rated PG-13 for brief sexuality.
Review Date: October 25, 2003
