Great Expectations - Chains of Love by Homer Yen (c) 1998
What do you suppose is the greatest form of energy? What can take a person further than one ever thought possible? The answer is: Desire. The desire that slowly brews within Finnegan [Finn] Bell (Ethan Hawke) is the central focus of this poetic drama.
When we first meet up with young Finn, we can see that he is a child who roams freely without the heavy-handed guidance of most children his age. He spends his time hanging out at the fishing pier, wades through the shallow waters of the Gulf, and scrawls his artwork into a keepsake book. As an incipient artist, he is truly gifted; like a fish, he is free to do what he pleases. But two acute episodes begin to shape his future.
One is a brief but traumatic encounter with an escaped convict (Robert DeNiro). The other happens when he meets Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow). The movie spends most of its time focusing on these two. Estella is the embodiment of a cold-hearted soul that flaunts her sexuality as a weapon of superiority and a catalyst of vengeance. And we learn that Estella's motivations are, in part, influenced by her eccentric mother, the multimillionaire Ms. Dinsmoor (Anne Bancroft). Ms. Dinsmoor was left standing at the alter many years ago and has been in a continuous state of jilted mourning ever since. Living alone in a mansion that is quickly deteriorating and overrun with creepers, she singles out Finn as the victim of her machinations. She hates men, and using Estella as the weapon, she will torment Finn as a means of retaliation. For starters, she teases Finn by telling him to not fall in love with Estella, for she will break his heart. But he does; he is smitten, and Finn's long journey and subsequent transformation thus begins.
For the most part, throughout his transformation process, I enjoyed the richness of the characters that Finn meets up with who subtly impact his growth. From the encounter with the convict to his laid-back uncle to his frenzied art pals, each one contributes in their own unique way. Estella's detachment was haunting yet bittersweet. Also, Ms. Dinsmoor exuded a delicious blend of insanity and wisdom who liked to listen to old records and end her sentences with the words "Chick-e-boom".
Yet, there seemed to be something at work here that undermined the allure set in the first half of the film. Perhaps it was the fact that we grew tired of watching Finn constantly adjust his lifestyle to win over Estella. Perhaps we were not convinced of Estella's attraction for Finn. Perhaps it was because we never really knew what Estella was thinking. Perhaps it was because the ending seemed incongruously happy. Moreover, as I was watched the film, the message of the movie seemed to get buried behind the luscious cinematography and beneath the bewitching musical score.
It certainly seemed to have the potential to deliver a strong film. But somewhere along the way, the story just ran out of steam. Poetic at some points and seemingly at a standstill at other points, I left the theatre with many more questions than answers in my mind. This is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, this is the kind of film that leaves an impression in your mind as you walk out of the theatre. For me, however, I had higher expectations for this film, but what I got was nothing great.
Grade: C+
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