I finally got around to seeing
Terry Gilliam's new film, TIDELAND and I'd say it ranks right up there with his other epic masterpieces like BRAZIL, FEAR AND LOATHING and TIME BANDITS. This is classic Gilliam in every way.
First of all, I was extremely impressed by child actor
Jodelle Ferland. She is amazing as the character of Jeliza-Rose and she also does all the different voices of her doll's heads, which she constantly talks to during the movie. I was surprised to discover that she's no stranger to acting. It's quite amazing considering she's still only 12 that she's built up an impressive resume filled with roles in television, film and commercials. Born in Nanaimo, BC in 1994, she started in an episode of CTV's "Cold Squad" (1998), before landing the lead role in her first film, Mermaid (2000) (TV) at the age of four. Her portrayal of the heartbroken "Desi" earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, making her the youngest nominee in history, as well as a Young Artist Award.
Jennifer Tilly has a short, but very memorable role as Jeliza-Rose's mother who dies from a heroin overdose about 15 minutes into the movie. She has an extreme addiction to chocolate as well, having cases of chocolate bars around the house.
The other short, but very memorable performance is by Jeff Bridges, who plays Jeliza-Rose's father. The scene on the bus when Jeliza-Rose is being taken from the big city to her grandmother's rural farmhouse is total Gilliam. Bridges just disgusts everyone on the bus by farting, coughing, barfing on the floor and generally pissing everyone off.
As Jeliza-Rose tries to settle into a new life in a house her father had purchased for his now-deceased mother, she attempts to deal with what's happened result in increasingly odd behavior, as she begins to communicate mainly with her bodiless Barbie doll heads and Dell, a neighborhood woman who always wears a beekeeper's veil.
Then she meets Dickens played by BC actor
Brendan Fletcher. Dickens is a crazy, jittery epileptic mess who has has a strangely unique kindness and lovability about him. There is some pretty sick imagery that some people will probably be offended by and no doubt some who will call Tideland a controversial film or a disturbing one, but that has more to do with those people than the actual film. There are some strange kind of sexual situations, especially between Jeliza-Rose and Dickens that to some adults would seem very dangerous and bordering on pedophilia. Again, that's up to the viewer.
Jodelle Ferland has played the most honest and innocent performance I've seen since "Spirit of the Beehive" (See my recent review in the archives). That's the last performance I remember when I've last seen a film that so honestly and accurately portrays a child's imagination.
Gilliam doesn't shy away or try to portray a happy life, but focuses on the darker side of her life and development. However, the film is not all doom and gloom, and that is one it's great strengths and Gilliam's gift of storytelling. Gilliam fills the whole film with a sense of mystery, charm and fun that makes the darkness seem more like going on a long, strange ride where you don't know where you'll end up, but you somehow know everything will be all right on the other side.
This is one of a few shots we had taken a few weeks ago. Pretty sexy couple, huh? We got 22 shots in total, so I'll post more later. 
