Review of Dean Spanley (2008) by Christine B — 21 Jan 2011

This film is only nominally about reincarnation. While something of a romantic (in the broad sense) fantasy, it will disappoint those looking for even a trace of mysticism. This beautiful movie is really about what it means to be truly alive, and the effect of a death on those left behind.

A little sad but in a sweet way. It gets off to a slow start to the point where you might wonder "why bother?" However, you soon realize that you are being presented with a number of puzzle pieces and the pace picks up as they are assembled.

One thing to watch out for early on is that Sam Neill is effectively playing two roles. The transition from one to the other is marked by a particular event (I won't spoil it) but there is no change in character, making it difficult to discern at the first.

(Two roles, one character? What IS he talking about?) The film draws everything together by the end and is even somewhat predictable in doing so, but well worth the time invested. Do not miss the short sweet epilogue after the screen darkens at would could have been the end.

The Neill, Brown and O'Toole performances are top notch. The other characters are excellent as well but are there to support the story of the aforementioned three. This film is available on Netflix streaming as of January 2011.