Review of Hide (2008) by Lan B — 22 Jul 2009

"Hide" came to my attention through its lead actor, Christian Kane, though it was released independently last year. It is the story of Billy and Betty, sociopathic lovers in the vein of "True Romance" and Bonnie and Clyde, who struggle to rediscover their relationship after a seven-year prison separation as a result of a killing spree. The film is, in essence, a road trip in which Betty attempts to restore their past glory as lovers and partners while Billy wrestles with a desire for redemption and penance that came upon him during the prison stint. He is in every way torn and broken, and yet Billy is also a man in love. His struggle is just as much against his lover as it is against his own self. As the story progresses we see just how Billy became the man he was and the man he is at present, and we come to understand the vast chasm that has developed in his psyche. The character of Billy is fully evolved, with all credit to Christian Kane for what I consider the best performance of his career. Rachel Miner, as Betty, is equally astounding, allowing herself to disappear before our eyes so that all we see throughout the film is a fearless, volatile and deeply dissonant woman in search of something to ground her. Without these two performances, alongside the stunning landscape of Argentina, "Hide" would not carry as much depth as it does.

Unfortunately, there is also a subplot that plays like a horror film and a final scene that is so mind-bending I had to watch three times and still did not understand. The pieces just don't fall into place as they should. I'm guessing this is a writerâ??s issue, for the actors truly embraced all that was asked of them and the director shot the film with languid beauty. Which makes the unraveling of the story so disappointing. I found myself a little dumbfounded when I stopped the disc, then decided that I needn't tax my brain about the details. Instead, I'm embracing the characters and the themes of forgiveness, redemption, and good-versus-inherent-evil. And for those elements I thoroughly enjoyed the film and will watch it again and again through the years.