A SOLDIER'S DAUGHTER NEVER CRIES Cast: Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey, Leelee Sobieski, Jesse Bradford, Anthony Ruth Costanzo, Dominique Blanc, Virginie Ledoyen, Samuel Gruen, Luisa Conlon Director: James Ivory Screenplay: James Ivory, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based on the novel by Kaylie Jones Running time: 124 minutes Australian theatrical release: January 28, 1999 Reviewed by Luke Buckmaster
On the Buckmaster scale of 0 stars (bomb), to 5 stars (a masterpiece): 2 stars
Coming of age films - or films that develop their characters over decades of their lives - all face a similar problem. Obviously, it is impossible to fit all of life's experiences in the span of two hours, so the most that a writer can do is carefully choose scenes that examine their characters best. The aggravating thing about A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries is that it presents a trade off that isn't very fair: in order to watch its characters undergo their life defining experiences, you also have to sit through the uninteresting and dreary moments which shape their existence. No one can accuse director James Ivory of being unrealistic; instead, we can accuse him of being inefficient.
The film revolves around an American family living in Paris during the 60's and 70's. Father Bill Willis (Kris Kristofferson) is a successful writer and a World War II veteran, and Mother Marcella (Barbara Hershey) is a flamboyant heavy drinker. They have two children - daughter Channe (played by Luisa Conlon as a child and Deep Impact's Leelee Sobieski as a teenager) and adopted son Billy (Samuel Gruen then Jesse Bradford). The Willis family have a strong love and appreciation for each other; the two kids especially having an obvious respect for their wise and gentle father.
Each of the Willis' experience their own set of hardships. Mum and Dad worry that Billy will be taken away from them, Channe struggles to be accepted in her various high schools, and Billy becomes a social outcast.
The synopsis above does not indicate a one way storyboard, and rightfully so. A Soldiers Daughter Never Cries is multi-layered conventional drama, hiding the fact that it doesn't have much of a plot. Instead, it is primarily a collection of dramatic scenes that attempt to illustrate each of the characters' emotional breadth. Ivory pulls this off with only reasonable success. Some of the film's best moments are when Channe becomes best friends with a boy named Francis (Anthony Ruth Costanzo) who, by textbook definition, will grow up to be gay. "You're weird, you act like a girl," she tells him. Francis retorts by explaining that he acts like nobody but himself. But he is only one of the supporting characters who abruptly disappear from the screen. Ivory tries so hard to focus on the Willis family that none of his other characters have the chance to make a lasting impression. He succeeds in giving the film a heart, but in the process forgets to give it a brain.
Leelee Sobieski is able to grasp much of what her role requires. She plays Channe with a calm and controlled presence, but gives a gutsy (and risky) performance. Most of the faults in her portrayal can be narrowed down to the screenplay, which never accurately represents the hardships of puberty. It also never makes that much sense, as I was left pondering why we witness Channe having her period in class and wearing her first bra, when the loss of her virginity is only given a mention in one conversation. The rest of the cast are uniformly strong (especially the younger two actors, Luisa Conlon and Samuel Gruen), although each of their characters lack flair.
For those with patience and do not mind a flat ending, A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries may provide some pleasant viewing. Like many others like it, the film is paced very slowly and its tone and style remain consistent. But given his material, James Ivory should have bent over backwards to ensure that his film was never boring. He gives A Soldiers Daughter Never Cries a heart, but not much else. This is one trade-off that just doesn't seem fair.
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