Carried Away [Import]

Very well acted by Amy Irving, allowing herself to look drab, and
older, and especially Dennis Hopper, who gives what might be his most
restrained performance ever, and creates an unforgettable character in
the process.

This tale of a mid-western, self confessed 'mediocre farmer and
schoolteacher' having an erotic affair with a 17 year old student, and
the effect it has on his life, especially his long standing, but now
somewhat inert relationship with his fellow teacher, is really about
taking risks in life, even bad ones, and how we need those to stay
alive.

I like and admire that the film neither fully condemns or approves of
anyone or any action. Everything is complex.

Sadly, Amy Locaine as the girl, while stunningly beautiful, isn't at
the acting level of her older co-stars, nor his her character written
with the same kind of insight and precision, which hurts the overall
effect. And some of the writing is a little overly poetic and
theatrical.

Still, it's an unique film, dealing with sex, aging, morality, fear and
self-image in a far more complex, mature way than most American films,
and for once treats mid-western farm folks as just as complex,
intelligent and tortured as their big-city counterparts.

Honestly I didn't realize Amy Locane was such a bombshell until I watched this movie. And she also gave a very strong performance. Amy Irving did a really great job too. "Carried Away" came out in 1996, and I haven't seen in the last 5 years any other movie scene as explicit (and thought provoking at the same time) as the one with Irving and Hopper in the buff - yes, both of them. In the wrong hands, that kind of shots could have turned this terrific film into a Lolita-style soft porn.

I expected a poignent character study of the way these people's lives were impacted by the affair between a 47 year old teacher and his 17 year old student. Amy Irving is magnificent as she battles between her pride and her genuine affection for Hopper's character. Hopper is astonishing in his dignified, quiet desperation and sudden hopeful passions. Gary Busey is also remarkable in a role which calls for more restraint and subtlety than he's been allowed before. But, while the acting was superb, there was something wrong with both the pacing and the plot. Too much time was spent on the affair and too little on the ramifications. I wonder if men would find this movie more to their taste than women: Siskel and Ebert gave it 2 thumbs up...