Tideland

Tideland, director Terry Gilliam's twisted venture into the malleable minds of children, is disturbing - but not in the sense of the gratuitous gore or violence meant to shock in horror films. As in the popular Mexican film Pan's Labyrinth, Tideland juxtaposes innocence and brutality (though less graphically), portraying the distorting effects of violence and tragedy on youth as well as the ability of the imagination to make sense of horror, or escape it. Set amidst eerie, empty wheat fields and dilapidated farmhouses, the film compares the vulnerability of two minds - a young girl faced with death and abandonment, and an older mentally retarded man with fantasies of submarine adventure. Jeff Daniels plays a decent corpse, and Gilliam employs his trademark sideways, disorienting cinematography (as seen in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Brazil, and his other weird films) to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and menace. Full of colorful, strange imagery and bizarre characters.

WORTH THE WATCH
Rating 3.5 out of 5
Buy this film: Tideland

Plot: 3
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3 Tideland
Overall: 3.5