Review of Antonia's Line (1995) by Dfw F — 17 Oct 2009

Wow what a wonderful film. Its hard to believe that so much living and emotion and love can be crammed into a short two hour film. Ebert Calls its magical realism. I call it great film making and great story telling. This film puts you in a strange and wonderfully emotional mood. Then it tosses in a light mixture of music intellect and math!! What a small town of oddballs. I LOVE!! It portrays 3 generations of independent women, and the matriarch of their unusual family, Antonia. Antonia left her small village before WWII and returns years later with her grown daughter. Antonia has an opinion on everything, and smiles as she points out the colorful village characters to her cosmopolitan artist daughter who is amused by everyone from the town busy-bodies to the tradition of drunk men peeing on the church wall. However, Antonia manages to carve out a place for herself by embracing love when she finds it, and opening her arms to the needy outcasts and oddballs that are victimized by cruel villagers.

This film also offers a wonderfully refreshing depiction of love in all shapes and sizes-- connections between mentally handicapped loners, romance between women, elderly romance. It does not sensationalize these unusual couplings, rather it highlights the giddy delight that is two human beings connecting. This is truly a movie about self-made "family," lonely souls that find each other and live together with loyalty. However, one graphic rape scene. Antonia's Line is a thematically rich motion picture,. In addition to the evident message about the importance of community, the film challenges different philosophies about death, from those of Schopenhauer to those of the Catholic church. It condemns the hypocrisies of organized religion while endorsing the concept of "church" as a gathering place. It celebrates painting, math, music, and all forms of creative expression. And it gently advances the director's feminist agenda, illustrating that women can thrive (not just survive) without men. Antonia doesn't want a husband and Danielle's lover is a lesbian. The final lines of Antonia's Line are: "And, as this long chronicle draws to a conclusion, nothing has ended." Such is often the case for life stories brought to the screen with heartfelt realism. Aided by a fine cast giving unaffected performances, Gorris has fashioned a rare and wonderful world capable of provoking both laughter and tears -- sometimes at the same time. This film is kind of feminist. I find it beautiful and intriguing. I love this dreamy enchanting intellectual movie!! highest rating!! I can only imagine what kind of cold soulless human beings would rate this a bad film with only two stars. they must be immensely screwed up in the head and should watch more tv commercials.!@!