Bob Phillips

Not being a tired old film reviewer - first I have ever done - many of who seem to revel in knocking honest endeavour, I like this film. Yes, the plot lines are nothing unusual or novel (and what is wrong with 'novelettish', as one reviewer put it?), but that is life, right? Why do things constantly need to be newer, higher, bigger, different? Given that most people accept there are only really about 5 or 6 stories to be told, and Boy Meets Girl is one, and they fall in love through some desperate circumstances, and you are pretty certain they won't make it, for some reason fairly likely to unfold as the story goes on. Sacrifice, acceptance, a bit of deceit and injustice along the way - that IS most people's lives, unless they have lived some charmed existence. As for the comments I have read about the film not knowing whether it is pro- or anti-war - that seems like a perfectly valid position to me, war is not always black and white, as we all know from events around the world, seemingly all the time nowadays. The film can get a tad treacly, but if you are a big softie - me - who doesn't like a good blub?! The near-to-end scene where our hero carries a wounded boy to safety, ON A CROSS, however, was a bit too analogous even for me. However, I forgive it even this for some gorgeous scenes across Canada's open pastures, and for the ' honesty with which the actors do their thing. Low budget - bring it on - it may be, and towards the end Gross seems to make some 'interesting' choices with sets, maybe to cut costs, but the overall effect is for a mildly surreal element to enter the fray, intentional or otherwise, and this change away from realism is not entirely unwelcome. To sum up, despite quite some predictability - watch it a second time and you might cringe just a little more than the first - I give this film four stars, just, because I like a film that can make tears fall effortlessly from my eyes, while telling a story that represents terrible times, terrible sacrifice, and does it with beauty and open-heartedness. The cast are all spot on, pretty much, and I think they can hold their heads up amid an unfair amount of negative reaction. Some critics might consider a change of career if they can't be generous, and for the right reasons.