Tideland (Gilliam, 2005)IMDB LinkI admire both and I think they are both worthy movies, but I can’t get into either of them. Movies are to me a form of escapism, so I do not see a point escaping to somewhere that the characters also escape.
Of the two, I’d say I like “Tideland” better, and partly this is because “Tideland” is the less well-known than “Pan’s Labyrinth”, and is the one that was a bit critically panned. Automatically liking the underdog is retarded, but it is also very tempting. Although, I do also like “Tideland” for some probably better reasons.
“Pan’s Labyrinth” was visually dark, but “Tideland” is much more shocking, not due to its visual effects, which is like Gilliam’s other works, bright and color, but due to its subject material. The small girl deals with her life by being perky and imaginative, and it seems her troubles just roll off her. Her mother is an ugly, fat lady dies from overdosing on drugs, and her rocker, long-haired father takes her to a small farmhouse. The girl prepares the heroin for her father and helps him inject it, and then he also dies, but the girl just lets him lie there, and does not deal with the fact that he is dead. Now, add a weird love story between her and a retarded man in his 30s (with a few, kisses that are uncomfortable to watch!), you get a bizarre experience. The MPAA gave it an R rating, and its reason will give you some clues on how far Gilliam has gone, “Rated R for bizarre and disturbing content, including drug use, sexuality, and gruesome situations - all involving a child, and for some language.”
A movie like this depends heavily on its young star, as she would be forced to carry the whole movie on her little shoulder, and 11-year old Jodelle Ferland does a wonderful job. Her facial expression when the movie ends is simple and heartbreaking.
3/5
