Invisible Circus [Import]

I think "The Invisible Circus" was a good movie, but it could've been better. Here are the facts:

Phoebe(Jordana Brewster) is an eighteen year old living in San Francisco in 1976 with her mother(Blythe Danner). Her father(Patrick Bergin) died of leukemia nine years before, and her sister Faith(Cameron Diaz) killed herself six years before in Portugal.

Phoebe never got over Faith's death, so she decides to go to Europe to find out what happened to Faith during her year in Europe. Phoebe uses the postcards Faith sent as a map, going everywhere Faith went(Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Portugal).
In Paris, she finds Wolf(Christopher Eccleston), Faith's ex-boyfriend. Wolf hasn't gotten over Faith's death either, despite the fact he's about to marry another woman(Isabella Pasco).

With Wolf's help, Phoebe learns what happened to Faith and why she killed herself, and Phoebe finally moves on.

The performances were good enough, and the movie was somewhat interesting.

Overall- 5.5/10

This video is very moving and intense. It is the story of a girl who committed suicide in the 1960s, and her now-grown-up sister's attempt to understand what happened. It seamlessly traces and intertwines both sisters' trips through Europe, and shows how the older sister went further and further into rebellion until she reached a point she could not turn back or go on. It shows the older sister's integrity - even though she did not get caught in her crime, and faced only her own guilt, she was unable to live with herself, and saw suicide as the only way out. It shows the boyfriend's love of her, even as he tried to get her to pull back, and his attempt to understand, years later, what had happened. And it shows the sister's and mother's attempts to live with what had happened. It is a very powerful movie. Diaz shines in her role, and Ecclestein, Danner and the other minor characters are also very powerful. Brewster is a little weak - a more experienced actor could have brought a little more depth to her character, and Ecclestein's wig was horrendous.
Those two minor flaws, however, could not dim the beauty or power of this movie.

I find this film fascinating for its subtext. It begins with a San Francisco family torn apart: A father's untimely death and his eldest daughter's demise in some far off part of Europe during the politically charged 1960s.

Left behind are the mother and youngest daughter. When the daughter wants to answer the lingering questions she has about her big sib, she sets out to trace the path that her sister took, and to find out what she could about the events.

Of course, she is cautioned every step of the way, first by her mom, then by her sister's long time beau, who very reluctantly and uncomfortably begins to recount the story of their excursion across the continent and their involvement with the "peace movement," and what he knew about his lover's death.

The "Generation Gap" I refer here is the elder "Baby Boom" daughter, played by Cameron Diaz, and her "do anything" free spirited ways, and her kid sis, portrayed in a very reserved performance by Jordana Brewster, who demonstrates how a few years can make a big difference in how you get treated. Here, seemingly trapped in her existence, she plays the part of a bird trying to find her way out of the cage she has been locked in for her life, and trying to get some answers from a world that seems intent on "protecting" her.

This isn't an action picture. I wouldn't even consider it a road picture, even though it takes place in Amsterdam, Paris and Portugal, beautiful locations all. But it is a psychological drama, about putting people's actions into a context, be it historical or just understandable. If you're born between the late 50s to the mid 70s, this film just might strike an important chord with you.

Wonderful performances from Diaz, Brewster, and Christopher Eccleston as the former boyfiend who plays tour guide to both Europe and his ex's final days.

Recommended.