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| CLOSER TO HOME (1995) | |
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There is a growing business of mail order brides where companies advertise
women to men who seek a life partner. The film Close to Home turns
out to be a rather intriguing tale of a mail order bride, as it thoroughly
depicts both sides of the issue. The story displays the man, Dean (John
Michael Bolger), who seeks a woman and his status in society while the
audience gets to explore the woman's socioeconomic position.
Initially, it seems as if Dean seeks someone out of his league, as he
seeks someone beautiful, younger and obedient. Through the mail
order bride service Dean finds such a woman, Dalisay (Madeline Ortaliz),
while thumbing through a large a quantity of photos. According to
Dean, Dalisay does not look like a bar girl, as she seems to be young,
pretty and neat.
Dalisay seeks an opportunity for a better financial life, as she desires to advance on the social ladder for her family's sake. As the film unfolds the audience will find out that the street smart Dalisay is from a poor family and her sister is in dire need to have a surgery in order to save her life. The writer and director Joseph Nobile adds extra layers of human complexity to the film by presenting these problems that she has at home and at work to explains why she is willing to get married to a stranger. Through Dalisay's problems the audience will experience a thoughtful story that will have genuine emotions, as her and her family's socioeconomic status provides a strong enough argument for why she is deciding to travel to United States. Dean, on the other hand, is a broke dreamy romantic that seems to believe that marrying a woman and moving into the family apartment will solve all his problems. The dreamy hopes that Dean has for the future do not rest within a well thought out and organized plan, as he merely seems to believe that a woman will remove all of his problems, while his sister wants to sell the apartment where he lives to their brother-in-law. Yet, Dean does not want to sell, or cooperate with the family, as he wanders down his own path of self-destruction. This part of the film sometimes borderlines with soap opera-like melodrama, as Dean appears too simplistic in contrast to Dalisay. The contrasts will be boosted when Dalisay arrives to the United States, as her personal strength for survival makes Dean simply look like a loser. Closer to Home has a strong foundation, as it offers an original story told from two very different angles. The allocated shooting budget should also be taken into consideration, as it was far less than any big blockbuster. Nonetheless, the Achilles' heel of the film seems to rest within the cast, as some characters provide a solid performance while others do not seem to be in character. This definitely hurts the strong message that the film tries to deliver, as it removes the attention from the story and instead directs it toward the flaws. Yet, some cinematic highlights such as when Dalisay walks on glass provide occasional cinematic inspiration of genius while the content provides some intriguing contemplation. |
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DIRECTED BY |
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| Joseph Nobile | |
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COUNTRY |
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USA / Philippines |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 5/1/2005 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
