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| PIECES OF APRIL (2003) | |
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Holidays for many mean an opportunity to assemble the complete family – both the desired and undesired members.
Pieces of April is a film about such an event where April Burns (Katie Holmes) attempts to attract her family to her home in New
York for the first time, as the family considers her the black sheep.
Throughout most of the film, the audience gets to learn how much the Burns dislike
her while April’s little sister, Beth (Alison Pill), repeatedly tries to convince her mother, Joy (Patricia Clarkson), to stay at home or turn around.
Nonetheless, Joy remains firm in her conviction to visit April while she habitually spews out something spiteful about her daughter April who seems to have been a real horror as a child at least according to her family.
Underneath the surface there is also something much more painful that all members of the family try to consider, as the Burns leave to visit April in New York. Initially, it seems as if Joy suffers from bulimia while she devours doughnuts and later vomits intensely at a gas station bathroom. However, it is not an eating disorder. Nonetheless, there is clearly something wrong with Joy, as the family never seems to discuss this well-known family secret. This leaves the family in a tense limbo where no one knows what to say or do, as they merely act upon what Joy tells them to do. This happens while April becomes the verbal punching bag that they toss around on their short journey to New York City. Throughout the Burns’ trip, the audience can witness April’s passionate, yet feeble struggle with April’s gastronomical artistry while trying to cook the Thanksgiving dinner for her visiting family. Nothing seems easy for April, but it also reflects a little of her thoughtlessness, as she scurries around in her apartment building for a functioning stove for the turkey. In addition, the audience finds out why she has isolated herself from the family, which helps the audience understand why she has detached herself from the family. Yet there seems to be something within April that recognizes the importance of the situation even though she is not looking forward to this event of thankfulness. Pieces of April reminds a lot of other films that deal with the family connection over Thanksgiving such as Hannah & Her Sisters (1986), Ice Storm (1997), and What's Cooking (2000). Despite these previous films Pieces of April reaches out to the audience in a new manner, which is both heartwarming and moving. However, it does not succeed in reaching a level above these films, as it remains on a slightly lower level. Nonetheless, the digital photography enhances the genuine atmosphere while the cast delicately handles the issues at hand, which delivers a kind and forgiving film in the spirit of Thanksgiving. |
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DIRECTED BY |
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| Peter Hedges | |
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USA |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 4/27/2005 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
