Damn the Man! The Enduring Popularity of Empire Records

"Empire Records, open 'til midnight. This is Mark...Midnight!"

Today, April 8th, is what is known amongst fans of Empire Records as Rex Manning day. It is the day the events of the film takes place on, the day musician Rex Manning is appearing at the titular store to sign copies of his latest album. This date has been celebrated for the last few years when an eagle-eyed viewer was able to determine the date on a poster displayed in the store.

While the film did little business theatrically, it gained a cult status on video with viewers who were not unlike the array of misfit characters that populate the film. Empire Records focuses on an ensemble cast as they deal with both their internal struggles and both the issues associated with having a celebrity visiting the store and finding out their beloved workplace is about to be bought out by a music store chain.

The film is not without it's flaws. A fun game to play during the film is "Who's on Register?" While playing this game, you will notice several times the entire cast is in the clubhouse-esque back room. There are also a few scenes that fail to entirely convince, but if you get int spirit of the film, you hardly notice. 

The film is directed by Allan Moyle, whose previous film was the far more meaningful and potent film, Pump Up the Volume. Still, he manages to balance the various plot threads among the many characters with relative ease. This film is also lighter in tone, with plenty of comedic moments and instantly quotable lines. 

The cast is made up of the usual archetypes for this type of teen based film. The gang includes the sensitive artist  AJ (played by Johnny Whitworth), the overachiever Corey (played by Liv Tyler), the suicidal girl Debra (played by Robin Tunney), the philosophizing screw-up Lucas (played by Rory Cochrane), the apparent slut Gina(played by Renee Zellweger) and the hyperactive Mark (played by Ethan Embry). They are managed by surrogate father figure/friend, Joe (played by Anthony LaPaglia). 

Each cast member works through their own personal dramas on the day the aforementioned Rex Manning, a has been pop star played by Maxwell Caulfield, visits the store to sign copies of his latest album. AJ is trying to figure out the perfect way to confess his love for Corey. Corey is planning to offer herself to Rex Manning. Joe is wrestling whether or not to turn in Lucas for stealing $9000 from the store that he subsequently lost in Atlantic City. The root of the dilemma is Lucas took the money to Atlantic City to try and double or triple it to attempt to buy out the music store chain's claim to the store. 

The entire staff stages a mock funeral for Debra to try and show her life is worth living and is easily the film's most ridiculous scene that is meant to be serious. Gina wants to sing, but confesses she is afraid to. We, of course, know she will be singing by the end of the movie, in a rendition of "Sugar High" that is one of the high points of the film.

The film has a fantastic soundtrack that includes such great 90's bands as The Dire Straights, Gin Blossoms, The Cranberries and Toad the Wet Sprocket. Each song compliments the scene and perhaps may be one of the better aspects of the film.

I think the film has endured for a variety of reasons. The cast works well together and has an infectous chemistry that adds to the film. Each actor breathes life into what would make them an otherwise stereotypical character. The audience members no doubt relate to at least a few of the characters. Lastly, there is a certain level of wish fulfillment here. The Empire Records store would obviously be a very cool place to work, with all the various shenanigans that go on there over the course of a very hectic workday. As someone who worked his share of retail jobs in my high school and college days, I know it was for me. 

I eventually found it, at least to a certain degree during my tenure at the local Blockbuster Video. Not surprising, this movie was on heavy rotation when I worked there, playing during late night audits, mornings before we opened or on slow weekdays when one of my managers was nursing a nasty hangover. 

Empire Records remains a favorite of mine all these years later. I look back on it with a sense of nostalgia. It's a fun film that I've seen many, many times and although age has shown me the inherent flaws, I still enjoy it all the same.

Forgotten Films: April Fool's Day

Coming at the tail end of the early 80's slasher movie craze was a little gem called April Fool's Day. It was at once both another holiday-themed slasher thriller and a clever satire of the well-worn genre. 

The film follows the familiar premise, with a bunch of college friends getting together at the secluded island mansion that belongs to their friend Muffy's family. 

On the ferry over, they accidentally cause the accident of a ferry worker when a prank goes wrong. Shaken, they continue to the house, where Muffy welcomes them. As they settle in, they find the house rigged with various pranks ranging from innocent (a faucet that sprays you in the face, a chair that collapses when you sit in it) to the cruel (reminders of character's dark secrets such as an abortion or deadly accident).

Things escalate when one by one friends start disappearing only to turn up dead later. Who's behind the deaths? The ferryman? Or is it the increasingly unhinged Muffy? The increasingly dwindling numbers gather together to try and stay alive, await the arrival of local law enforcement and try and resist the urge to go wandering off alone. 

At the center of the film is Kit, played by Amy Steel in familiar horror heroine mode, who catches on that something is afoot early on and tries to alert the others to it, but most think it's just another April Fool's prank. Amy Steel has been a favorite of mine since I first saw her in Friday the 13th Part 2. She has this great girl next door presence that I've always really liked and wish she had gotten more acting opportunities either in or outside the horror genre.

The film has a better than average cast, especially for this genre, including Deborah Foreman, Thomas F Wilson (forever to be known as Biff from the Back to the Future trilogy) and the aforementioned Amy Steel. The well chosen cast play their parts well, which helps with these types of films when you have characters you're sad to see go rather than cheering on the killer, a trend I always found disturbing with these films (although there are a few exceptions, where even I have called out, "Okay, you can die now.")  

The film also has the benefit of being rather well written with most of the characters fleshed out at least more than the average slasher film character. The plot weaves around well enough to keep the audience guessing who has taken their love of April Fool's Day pranks way too far. 

This is one of the slicker and better made 80's slasher films with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep the audience engaged and guessing. It's also a lot of fun, as you'd expect from a film titled "April Fool's Day."

Forgotten Films: Cherry Falls

In the years following the success of Scream, there was a resurgence in the teen slasher movie. Most were fairly derivative, following the standard formula and only marginally better than the fare offered up in the 80's slasher movie heyday. But there was one that was on my radar for a long time as it took the long and painful trip trying to get to the cineplex, only to be delayed not once, twice but five times in trying to get an R rating by the MPAA. In the end, it was quietly released on the USA network in a heavily edited form. This film was Cherry Falls and it may be the most subversive horror film to come out since the original Scream.

The main premise of this film is a killer is targeting the teens of the small town of Cherry Falls with a very distinctive M.O: they're targeting virgins. It's a clever reversal of the well worn slasher movie trope that if you have sex, you die. The Police Department figures it out fairly quickly and alerts the parents, despite objections of the principal, stating if the students find out they're going to have "one hell of a fuck fest on our hands!" Of course, the Principal is right.  

The main character, our final girl if you will, is Jody Marken (played by Brittany Murphy), daughter of the town sheriff (played by Michael Biehn). You know you're in uncharted territory when the stereotypical over-protective lawman father wakes his daughter up in the middle of the night to inquire about her sex life and if she can go further. 

Outside of it's unique trope reversal, the film follows the slasher film formula pretty much note by note. A small, peaceful town with hidden secrets that will be revealed as an old evil gets stirred up again, parents sins visited upon their children, etc. Still, it offers up each item with it's tongue firmly planted in it's cheek. I mean, the requisite climactic party at the end of the film takes place at a massive orgy as the entire high school gathers to try and take themselves off the endangered species list.

The film isn't perfect though. Aside from Jody and maybe her Dad, the film doesn't really give us a lot of characters to become endeared to for long, so when the bodies start piling up the audience is more indifferent. The other character I really liked was Jody's gay best friend, Timmy, but he leaves the film far too soon for me. 

Still, Brittany Murphy's turn as Jody more than makes up for it, showing her inner scream queen in all her glory and making Jody who can not only seriously haul ass when needed, but is also a more than competent fighter. It's a good performance by Brittany Murphy in a genre she may not have been well known for.

While, Cherry Falls is perhaps not the most original slasher film ever made, it gives enough satirical twists to the usual formula to make it a worthwhile viewing for fans of the genre, even in it's heavily edited form. Unfortunately, the film is downright impossible to find these days with the DVD out of print. I can only hope the relatively new horror imprint Scream Factory can get the rights to release this one, in it's uncut form if possible. It's a fun little horror flick that deserves to be seen more than it has, lost at the moment in obscurity due to unfair production problems. 

Veronica Mars

"A long time ago, we used to be friends but I haven't thought of you lately at all..."
- The Dandy Warhols

I came fairly late to the Veronica Mars fandom, deciding to take a chance on it after a good friend of mine recommended it to me and I got a killer deal on the DVDs. I should state this friend had also recommended to me Doctor Who and Parks and Recreation, two shows I have also fallen rabidly in love with, so clearly she has exquisite taste in television. 

Needless to say, I fell hard for Veronica Mars. I devoured the DVDs, quietly grateful that I had the entire series at my fingertips and not having to wait week after week for new episodes. With clever plotting and a witty, endearing performance by Kristen Bell as the title character, it was hard not to get sucked in. But then, after 64 episodes, it all ended with the third season closing on an uncertain note. It was clearly not meant to be a season finale, but had to do for the ever growing masses of "Marshmallows" as Veronica Mars fans refer to themselves. (It's a reference to something Veronica said, that deep down she was soft as a marshmallow.)

Then, last spring, the unthinkable happened. Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell were launched a Kickstarter campaign to get the oft rumored Veronica Mars movie off the ground. The fandom let out a collective squee as a little over $5 million was raised for the film. The resulting film was released this past weekend. 

Veronica Mars was a teenage detective, working part time at her father, Keith Mars' Private Investigations firm. The show was fashioned in the vein of film noir with a contemporary sensibility. She would work on various cases throughout the series, frequently getting assistance from her friends Wallace (played by Percy Daggs III), Weevil (played by Francis Capra), and Mac (played by Tina Majorino). 

For the first two seasons there was a season long "big mystery" Veronica was working on as well as smaller ones contained in individual episodes. 

In the first season, Veronica explains how she used to be friends with the popular kids in school but all that changed when her best friend Lily Kane died. Veronica decides to take it upon herself to solve her friend's murder. Over a season long arc, Veronica discovers new clues leading her to the real killer, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. As well as solving Lily's murder, Veronica also took regular cases from her classmates. On the whole, it made for rewarding, addictive binge viewing. 

Season two upped the ante with the big mystery arc being a mysterious bus crash that led to the death of several students. Once again, Veronica plunges into the mystery after she and her Dad realize it was more than a senseless accident. In the back of her mind, she can't help but wonder if the accident was caused to try and kill her since she was supposed to be on the bus but wound up not getting on at the last minute. 

Season three shook things up in more than one way, with many of the main characters graduating college winding up at the local Hearst University. A new addition to the gang comes in the form of Stosh "Piz" Piznarski (played by the adorkable Chris Lowell), a Mass Comm major and Wallace's roommate. The format was also switched up where several smaller mysteries were worked throughout the season, each resolved and followed by another. A lot of Marshmallows didn't like Season Three as much, with many complaints levied against the addition of Piz, some even going as far as calling him the Riley Finn (from Buffy) of Veronica Mars. This is a comparison I reject outright on the basis that Chris Lowell could never, ever annoy me like Marc Blucas did. Besides, his character made sense, being an essentially good guy in a world that is populated by increasingly shadier ones. 

Over the three seasons, there were a few significant boys in Veronica's life. The first was Duncan Kane (played by Teddy Dunn), Lily's brother. He and Veronica were together when Lily died and their relationship fell apart when Veronica's dad, then the Sheriff, indicted his father, Jake Kane, in the death and she picked her father's side. The other main man would be Logan Echolls (played by Jason Dohring), who is initially a spoiled rich kid but when he suffers a personal tragedy, he and Veronica are drawn closer. Then there is Wallace, who she meets in the first episode when she discovers him duct taped to the school flag pole. Both in need of a friend, they quickly bond after that. I always appreciated that their friendship always remained strictly platonic, with no romantic drama on either side. It's a refreshing change of pace. Then there is Weevil Navarro, the leader of the local motorcycle gang and a frequent help to Veronica when she needs to find out some information on the seedier sides of town. Last but certainly not least is Keith Mars, played wonderfully by Enrico Colantoni. The relationship between him and Veronica as father and daughter is the heart of the show. She learned all her tricks from him. While he discourages her investigating things at time, he is also willing to help her when he knows he can't.      

Which brings us, finally, to the movie. We pick up with Veronica again, years later. She's living in New York and has recently graduated from Law School. She's interviewing with Law Firms and dating Piz, who she apparently reconnected with in the Big Apple as he is working at a radio station there. She gets a call from old boyfriend Logan Echolls, who is standing accused of murder and needs Veronica's help to clear his name. And as luck would have it, her 10 year high school reunion is happening then as well. Normally, I would give a movie crap for something like this, but hey, I can't fault them for wanting to get everyone back together.

It's amazing how well everyone manages to slip back into their old roles as well, like no time has passed. The film is fairly cleverly plotted, with some decent twists to keep things interesting. Of course, the main thrust of the film is making Veronica choose once and for all the life of a PI or the life of a big city lawyer.

The film stays true to the spirit of the show, while at the same time translating it to the format of a theatrical film, albeit a modestly budgeted one. No doubt, this one was for the fans, with little tidbits and cameos throughout that would have more meaning for fans. That being said, newcomers should be able to enjoy the film and would hopefully be inspired to check out the series.

Of course, I would recommend the opposite. Dive into the exquisite series and stay for the movie. And if Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell decide they want to do another one I have my money ready. After all, as they say, I'm a marshmallow.

The "Before" Films...

My first encounter with Jesse and Celine occurred in the late nineties in the film "Before Sunrise," one of the many films I discovered during my tenure at Blockbuster. I had been enamored of the Director Richard Linklater's film "Dazed and Confused" and sought out other films by him, which led me to this one. But something about this one clicked, creating a love affair with these two characters that picked up again nine years later with "Before Sunset" and then another nine years later in "Before Midnight." Why such an affinity for a movie couple, you ask? Well, let me start at the beginning...

Before Sunrise

It's 1995 and Jesse,  played by Ethan Hawke, is traveling by train to Vienna to catch a plane to go home. He strikes up a conversation with a woman roughly his same age, Celine, played by Julie Delpy. They seem to click a bit and he asks her to join him in the lounge car for a bite to eat and she agrees. They talk some more and really seem to be hitting it off. However, their conversation seems to come to an early end as the train arrives in Vienna. They part ways, but Jesse has second thoughts and returns to the lounge car and proposes a crazy thought to Celine. She should get off the train with him in Vienna and spend the night with him wandering the city before his flight in the morning (he doesn't have enough money for a hotel). 

Over the course of the night, Jesse and Celine wander around Vienna, talking about various topics and over the course of the night fall in love with each other. The entire movie is these entire two characters talking and the thing is, I started to fall for both of them. I wanted to hang out with them, have conversations with them. These are two young, smart, educated adults whose view of the world was not too different from mine. I found myself really enjoying these two and their time together exploring the city. It's an understated, realistic and honest approach to a romantic film and it works well. 

The film ends on an ambiguous note as Jesse and Celine pledge to meet again in six months back in Vienna, agreeing not to exchange phone numbers or anything and wait until they are reunited. Celine departs on the next train and Jesse departs for the airport, leaving the ending open to the viewer to decide if they reunite or not.

Before Sunset

Nine years later, I found myself greeted with the most unlikely of all sequels, "Before Sunset." Not at all unwelcome, in fact I found the prospect of reuniting with Jesse and Celine to be too good to be true and quite exciting.

The film picks up in Paris, nine years later. Celine shows up at a book signing Jesse is having in a Paris bookstore. He has a plane to catch that he had to leave and meet in an hour and a half. They decide to wander around Paris and catch up until he has to leave for the airport. They pick up where they left off, but there seems to be a cloud of regret hanging over the reunion. Turns out they never reunited in Vienna. Jesse showed, but Celine didn't because her Grandma died during the time they were supposed to reunite and couldn't come.

Both moved on with their lives. Jesse got married and has a kid. He also wrote a book about Celine and their one night together, and admits he did it as an attempt to find her. As the evening wears on, Jesse admits his marriage isn't working out and talks about how he never stopped looking for her. This film has a looming urgency to it as Jesse keeps putting off leaving for the airport, not wanting to let Celine go twice. 

This is a rare sequel that is an equal and perhaps even superior to the original as these two characters make peace with decisions they made when they were younger and try to determine what their future might be for one another. The film ends on a slightly less ambiguous note as the two end up at Celine's apartment. Celine says to Jesse, "Baby, you are going to miss that plane."

Jesse, seated on the couch, smiles and replies, "I know..."

"Before Sunset" is perhaps an even richer film simply because these two characters are older and oh so much wiser, wishing they hadn't been so foolish when they were younger and take greater lengths to remain in touch. It's this feeling of regret that slowly seeps into their limited time together that gives everything a little more meaning, a little more hope that these two will learn from their mistakes and not part this time around. Something the film playfully follows through on. 

Before Midnight

If I thought "Before Sunset" was unlikely, this one came as a complete surprise to me. Once again, a happy surprise, but wholly unexpected. We catch up with Jesse and Celine while on vacation in Greece. They are now married with twins. The film opens with Jesse seeing his son, Hank, off at the airport to return home to his mother in the U.S. This leaves Jesse with a feeling he should be around more for his son and that he's missing important moments in his son's life.  

Celine tries to be supportive but is not keen on the idea of moving to the U.S, in part because she has just been offered an important job with the French government. She suggests trying to get custody of Hank so he can move to Paris and live with them. Jesse is hesitant to do this, not wanting to take his son away from his life in the U.S. 

Jesse and Celine return to the house they are staying at with friends. Jesse was invited to stay as he was a guest lecturer at the local university, something else that is starting to bug Celine who is at a career crossroads while her husband has found success as a writer. Their friends arranged a date night for the two of them at a local hotel while they babysit their kids. As the two set off after dinner to walk to the hotel, they begin another of their epic conversations and it starts to become increasingly clear that not all is right with these two. 

While the first two was about the beginning of a relationship at two different stages in their lives, this one is very much about maintaining it and while it's not always pretty it feels so unbelievably authentic, in no small part due to the performances of Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. As things continue to escalate between the two, culminating in a really big fight, it's heart wrenching because these two characters over the course of three films have become so genuinely real and three dimensional to the fans of these films. You want them to stay together because despite the things that drive them crazy about one another, they are so good together. 

As I reflect on these films, all three unique and special, I remark at how each one has such an authentic feel to them. There are no big moments, so silliness, it all feels like real life between two people and it has a genuineness to it that has left me enchanted through three films. All three seem to end of deliberately ambiguous notes, leaving the viewer to fill in what happens to these two characters that so many have gotten so attached to. As I left the theater after watching "Before Midnight" I felt really bummed that I was going to have to wait another nine years to hopefully see my friends Jesse and Celine again. Because at this point, that's what they feel like to me. That's crazy, right?

Guilty Pleasures: Beautiful Creatures

There are certain films that I genuinely enjoy, even if I feel a little guilty for enjoying it as much as I do. One film that falls under this category is definitely Beautiful Creatures. I really enjoyed this film and have lost all objectivity to be able to decide if this was actually a good film or not. Maybe in the process of writing this column, I can figure it out.

As the film begins, we are introduced to Ethan Wate, played by Alden Ehrenreich. He admits, through some admittingly witty narration, he's been having recurring dreams about a girl he doesn't know and he can't shake them. Of course, he soon enough meets the girl, Lena Duchannes (played by Alice Englert), who turns out to be the niece of the town shut in and just moved to town. 

Ethan winds up finding Lena stranded on the side of the road later that day and gives her a ride home. Immediately smitten, he continues to get to know her and her uncle, Macon Ravenwood (played by Jeremy Irons). He soon discovers that she, along with the rest of her family, is a witch or as they prefer to be called, Casters (Yeah, I know, I rolled my eyes too). Due to a curse dating back to the civil war, she is due to be claimed for either the dark side or the light side on her birthday unless they can figure out how to break the curse.

Complicating matters is the appearance of Lena's cousin, Ridley (played by Emmy Rossum at her sexy bad girl best). She was claimed for the dark side and brings with her Lena's mother, who is no longer able to take human form but instead possesses Ethan's friend Link's mother, played by Emma Thompson (overacting within an inch of her life and loving every minute of it). They are bound and determined to ensure Lena is claimed for the dark side. 

The film is another in a long line of Teen Supernatural Romance adaptations, but I think this one works a bit better than some other adaptations. It's more colorful and has more flavor to it than some others in the genre. I also was able to get far more invested in the central romance of Ethan and Lena, probably in a large part because they are played far more engagingly by Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert than some other of the genre's offerings (I'm looking at you, Twilight). The film also takes place in South Carolina, so it gives the actors a chance to sink their teeth into some admittingly over-wrought Southern accents, but at the same time just adds to the over the top fun of the film. 

Of course, the supporting cast is top notch too with the aforementioned Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Emmy Rossum. But there is also Viola Davis as Amma, who is the curator of the Caster library and was a friend of Ethan's late mother. She may just be my favorite character of the film. Of course, that may just be because I love Viola Davis. But she does have some of the best lines in the film.

After thinking it over as I wrote this article, I can say without a doubt I did genuinely enjoy this film. Yeah, it has it's faults. It's not perfect, but it is a lot of fun, with colorful characters, witty dialogue and is one of better additions to the ever growing teen paranormal romance genre. 

The Ballad of Thelma & Louise

Thelma and Louise blew into cinemas in the summer of 1991 with a wave of controversy that to this day remains, at least to some extent. Most of the complaints were overblown, made by straight, white male critics thoroughly unprepared to watch women break free and be the outlaws for once. They even went so far as to call the film anti-male, conveniently overlooking the fact that the film was indeed directed by a man, Ridley Scott. 

To properly analyze the film, first let me give you the plot of the film. The film focuses on two suburban Arkansas women. Thelma, played by Geena Davis, is a housewife to an emotionally abusive schmuck Darryl (played by Christopher McDonald). Louise, played by Susan Sarandon, is a waitress who is at a crossroads in her life and with her boyfriend, Jimmy. The two are leaving town, to spend the weekend at Louise's boss's cabin. 

On the way there, they decide to stop off at a roadhouse to have a couple drinks and unwind. Thelma meets a man, Harlan, who she is having fun flirting with. Things take a bad turn when he takes her out to the parking lot to get some air and then proceeds to attempt to rape her. Louise shows up in time and pulls a gun on him to get him to back off. As they're leaving, Harlan taunts the two girls and Louise turns back to him and shoots him in cold blood. Panicking, they flee the scene. 

Knowing there was no way she is going to get off, Louise decides to make a run for the border. Having nothing to go back to, Thelma decides to stand by her best friend. This turns out to be easier said than done as complications mount, especially with the arrival of thieving hitchhiker J.D, played by Brad Pitt at his sexiest, who quickly becomes the object of Thelma's love starved lusting.

At the heart of the film is the two dynamite performances by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. Each one plays their role to absolute perfection and you can't help but love and side with the characters all the way through the film. They stand by one another, help each other when the other is in the throes of despair, trading off taking charge of the situation including, among other things, Thelma robbing a convenience store after they get robbed. 

Meanwhile, a police detective played by Harvey Keitel, Hal Slocumb, is trying to track down the two women and when they finally make contact tries everything he can to get them to come in peacefully. Of course, Louise doesn't believe him and continues to try and leave the country. 

Callie Khouri wrote the script and weaves a tightly plotted story, spiced with humor, drama and adventure about two women who over the course of a couple days see their lives spin wildly out of control and try their best to adapt to it. Over the course of their journey, both women reflect on their lives in comparison to their present state, slowly shedding their baggage both figuratively and literally. This is wonderfully illustrated in a scene late in the film when Louise takes off all her jewelry, trading it with an old man for his cowboy hat. She no longer needed it and had not use for it. Thelma has a similar scene where she expresses that she finally feels awake, really awake and that going back to her old life was no longer a possibility. She was all in, no matter what. 

The film itself is wonderfully directed by Ridley Scott. In addition to telling a moving story, the film is absolutely beautiful to look at with stunning cinematography by Adrian Biddle. The film captures the wonderful vistas of the American Southwest, typified in a nighttime scene when Thelma and Louise drive through the deserts of New Mexico (although it was actually filmed in Moab, Utah). It ends with Louise pulling over to the side of the road and having a quiet moment to herself to reflect for a bit while Thelma sleeps in the car. It's quiet moments like this that make the film so memorable for me.

In the end, I'd like to think that this film has stood the test of time for being a good film with strong characters, hoping that most of the controversy has dissipated as time has gone by. While some would no doubt still take issue with the content of the film, it is significantly less violent than critics would suggest making it sound like Thelma and Louise go on a killing spree when in fact only one person is killed, a rapist no less. I would urge critics of the film to examine exactly why they have issue with the film. I, for one, found it an intensely moving and well made film that I still enjoy revisiting periodically.