Review of Ned Rifle (2015) by Walter M — 26 Nov 2014

Ned(Liam Aiken), having just turned 18, has decided to leave witness protection and head out into the world, seeking to find his mysterious father, Henry Fool(Thomas Jay Ryan), but not without a present from Clair(Melissa Bithorn) first. Ned's first stop is to visit his mother(Parker Posey) in jail, before paying a visit to Simon Grim(James Urbaniak), his uncle and Nobel laureate. And it is there that Ned encounters Susan(Aubrey Plaza), Simon's stalker, who is also looking for Henry.

Look, I've been as tough on Hal Hartley recently as much as anyone, but I think with his latest film "Ned Rifle," he regains some of his past form, with his deadpan style working in fits and bursts. And of course, it helps that he exchanged Aubrey Plaza for Parker Posey, with Martin Donovan always a welcome presence, no matter how token the appearance.(And it has been a long time since Karen Sillas has been in anything.) At the same time, this concluding installment of Hartley's Woodside Trilogy could be considered little more than an extended epilogue, if not for bringing things full circle, as Ned faces all sorts of temptation in his journey to adulthood.

Full disclosure: I did contribute to this film's Kickstarter campaign, for old time's sake, as much as any other reason.