Review of The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) by Angie M — 16 Aug 2008

There is probably anything more complicated than relationships, and Rebecca Miller tries to portray this through a look at the changing dynamic between a father and a daughter who is coming of age. The movie does not aim to be comfortable and that the audience understands quite early in the film as they are confronted with the issue of incest.

However, while the incestuous suggestions do make your skin crawl, its presence in the movie was not a mere hark to sensationalism. Here we see a father-daughter relationship that, while undoubtedly close, is quite a bit strange because of their complete isolation from the outside world. Rose has literally only associated with her father since she could remember, and every kind of love she could experience, he was the only one to receive it. This is why, when she hits sexual awakening, her lifelong bond with him begins to test the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and social conventions. Jack's alarm as he realizes it and his desperate attempt to rectify the situation. He seeks out a woman he had been casually dating and asks her to move in with him, hoping the presence of new people in the house might help dispel some of the feelings Rose was having for him. However, the new woman and her family only aggravates the problem -- Rose acts out in hurt and rebellion. The entire scenario is so utterly sad yet so believable. There is a sense of deep tragedy in the way Jack's and Rose's relationship starts turning and tumbling. Their intimacy and complete dependence on each other is perhaps hard for us to comprehend, especially from the perspective of Rose who not only has never had a human relationship with anyone before, but is also going through the turbulent period of adolescence. Add the fact of Jack's illness and his imminent death, you can't help but feel a grieving mood in the movie throughout. What ultimately does pull us is the love story - ignoring any sexual connotations - and the knowledge that it's just not destined to end happily.

Rebecca Miller has to be lauded for creating wonderfully complex characters. Jack is quite a part to play, but Daniel Day Lewis reliably delivers. From his Scottish accent to the physicality of someone with a heart disease, DDL in typical fashion wholly embodies the character. Catherine Keener is great as a gold-digger with a heart. Camilla Belle suits the innocence of Rose to a tee. She has a nice, sweet chemistry with DDL, and when you see them, you can get the idea of them being completely shut off from the outside world. Later on, her fierier side emerges, which Belle plays with subdued shades. Usually, I tend to find her acting very "monotone", but in this movie, she was able to successfully infuse passivity with an inner active inferno of emotions. Good job by her.

There are several scenes that I found was commendable in the movie. Of them, two that leap to my mind: the first when Rose propositions Rodney and he ends up cutting her hair. It was a cute scene because both Rose and Rodney find a kindred spirit in each other, as well as a dramatic first step by her in retaliation for her father's betrayal The second would be the very well done scene where Rose burns the house. Great editing, fitting music!