by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
Never one to shy away from controversy or down-right weirdness, Terry Gilliam’s latest film, Tideland, shows that the man who gave us the brilliantly bizarre Brazil is just a quirky as ever. Tideland is now available on 2-disc special edition DVD.
Jeliza Rose (Jodelle Ferland) is an imaginative little girl attempting to cope with her troubled life. After her mother (Jennifer Tilly) and father (Jeff Bridges) overdose, leaving the little girl in the middle of nowhere to fend for herself, Jeliza Rose retreats into her fantasy world where four doll heads are her best friends and the miles of golden grass around her is a great sea filled with adventures. Dell (Janet McTeer), an eccentric neighbor, and her lobotomized brother Dickens (Brendan Fletcher) become part of Jeliza Rose’s world.
Bonus features on this special edition DVD include interviews with Gilliam and producer Jeremy Thomas, a 45-minute documentary on the making of the film, deleted scenes and much more.
Tideland is an incredibly powerful, thought-provoking film that manages to repel and captivate all at once. Like a car crash, you want to look away, but your eyes won’t allow it. The film’s story is one that will polarize audiences. Much of what is shown to us is so strange and grotesque and disturbing that as an adult you just want to step in and help this little girl because no one around her will take her away from these horrors. But the real purpose behind the film is to show the resiliency of children, to show that they can handle a lot more than we think. In a world where the only thing we see on the news about kids is how they’ve been victimized, this message may be hard for many people to swallow. The cinematography is absolutely stunning and the acting is some of the best you’ll find. Young Jodelle Ferland acts circles around the Dakota Fannings of Hollywood. As you watch her you often forget she’s reciting lines. She will one day be a huge star.
Tideland is tough to watch but well worth the effort. Any fan of Gilliam’s work will be proud to add this release to their DVD collection. Rated R for bizarre and disturbing content, including drug use, sexuality, and gruesome situations.
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