Movie Review: Across the River and Into the Trees

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

A wonderful adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway novel. 

Though many don't consider Across the River and Into the Trees one of Hemingway's lesser novels, director Paula Ortiz (with her first (mostly)English language film) captures the power of even the author's lesser work. This is the type of film that takes its time and where the story isn't as much the point as the characters and the setting. Because of this though the story moves at a leisurely pace, it does not take long until I simply got whisked into the world of the film. Our main character (who is brilliantly played by Liev Schreiber) is the perfect Hemmingway protagonist. He is a tough guy who has become jaded and cynical because of his military life and having faced two world wars. The character is a perfect mesh of toughness and vulnerability. They these words both describe him, the do not feel like contradictions but simply two parts that make a whole person. If there is an actor capable of making such a character work, it is Liev Schreiber. He perfectly captures the complexities of this character and makes him feel incredibly real to us. The romance in this movie is also wonderful with Matilda De Angelis having incredible chemistry with Liev Schreiber. This movie captures what is the most important aspect of relationships (romantic or otherwise) in movies. That is that both characters bring out something in the other. These two characters bring out each other's vulnerabilities while also making the other feel real joy in the midst of the pain. Yet in this movie Vience is just as much a character as any of the human characters. This film makes us feel like we have taken a trip to Vience for nearly two hours. Not only does the film perfectly capture the visual beauty of its setting but it also shows how the setting effects our main characters. This movie could have not taken place anywhere else. If it did it would not be the same movie. 

This movie finds the incredible beauty in what is even considered one of Hemingway's lesser works. It is simply a must see.