Review of Off the Map (2003) by Debbie P — 05 Sep 2006

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] Tired of explosion movies? Tired of editing which jumps, zooms, and twitches for no obvious reason other than to generate rock-video excitement? [b][i]Off the Map[/i][/b] (2005) is [i]so[/i] leisurely. A husband, wife, and 12-year old daughter live by their own resources in remote northern New Mexico in 1974. Their quiet friend George is like another member of the family. Unfortunately, the husband (Sam Elliot) has gone into a deep depression and refuses to seek outside help. The wife (Joan Allen) continues to garden in the nude, run the household, educate their daughter . . . she is an amazing, centred woman. Then a rookie Internal Revenue Service man walks into their lives to do an audit for failure to file returns. [/font][/size].

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] Director Campbell Scott does an impressive job: As one critic said, the movie has a ?purity of spirit? and a ?confidence of voice.? Scott wanted to go slow, as he said, ?To lull the viewer.? Scott wants to make movies that give the feeling of being in natural time, and, here, this leisurely pace works perfectly because these sort-of-hippies are moving at what some would call a natural pace. Whether the movie lulls you to sleep or lulls you into accepting the alternative approach to life and the importance of a strong family depends a lot on you. The DVD is going to be obscure. The highest the film went in box office rankings was #27. It has grossed only $1.2 M. I hope that the little production company makes money because they gambled on a worthwhile movie after other companies had rejected Joan Ackerman?s play and screenplay as ?too soft.?[/font][/size].

[size=3][font=Times New Roman] Rating: 8/10[/font][/size].