Review of 10 Items or Less (2006) by Tanvir M — 08 Dec 2011

A small budget indie that proves again that a script is what makes a film, not huge marketing budget or over the top special effects. I was shocked to know that this movi was shot in two weeks! When movies seem to thrive on human misery and darkness of the soul (SAW, anyone?), this movie banks on the kindness of strangers and how chance encounters can profoundly change and impact ones life.

Those looking for a simple story of an older man falling for a young woman would be disappointed, as things are not so simple. The relationship between the two protagonists is not easy to define, it seems ethereal and complex as both help each other to overcome emotional obstacles and grow stronger as human beings.

Veteran Morgan Freeman plays off nicely against the Spanish actress Paz Vega, nicely complementing world weariness with the wide eyed hope of the youth. Not much â~happensâ(TM) in the movie in the actual Hollywood sense, but when reach the end, we can observe with surprise how much has changed in the emotional landscape of the two central characters.

It could have turned out as an ego trip as Morgan Freeman plays an actor, but that pitfall has been avoided as we discover the vulnerability and fragility his character. Recommended for those who enjoy sprawling character studies and can be patient without twists and turns every minute.