La vie devant ses yeux

Greetings again from the darkness. Most rated director Vadim Perelman's "House of Sand and Fog" higher than I, but I believe this is a much better and far more interesting film than his earlier effort. Based on the novel by Laura Kasischke, this is a bit of an eerie mind-bender that maintains an intoxicating look and feel.

Evan Rachel Wood adds to her amazing list of strong performances with pure teen angst, but this time there is an additional depth not seen before. Uma Thurman plays the 15 year senior version of Ms. Woods character and delivers one of her best yet. Also of note is Eva Amurri as Wood's friend Maureen who plays a key role at decision time. Ms. Amurri is also Susan Sarandon's real life daughter.

Can't give away much of this one, but I will say it is a joy to watch scene construction and the back and forth between present and past (or is it present and future) make for a multi-layered film that is engrossing in its delivery. Plus, the Zombies song makes a few appearances ... very cool.