Grade: B+
With A River Runs Through It, Robert
Redford has directed a small-scaled, humble and passionate film about two
brothers who grow up together in Montana during the early 1900s. The story’s main point of view is told
through the oldest brother, Norman Maclean (Craig Sheffer). Norman is responsible, smart and a hard-worker
who wishes to eventually move to Chicago to become a college professor. It is through Norman’s eyes that we witness a
portion of the Maclean’s family history.
And it is through his eyes that we also witness how radically different
Norman and his younger brother, Paul (Brad Pitt), are from each other. Whereas the smart and more cautious Norman looks at things logically, the more adventurous (and at times rebellious) Paul takes for granted the joys in life, even if it means falling to the temptation of gambling and alcohol. And yet, even under the ever watchful eye of
their Reverend father (Tom Skerritt), they are still brought together by their
love of fly fishing in Montana’s beautiful Bitterroot Mountains.
It’s the fly fishing that draws the characters
of this film together: one moment Norman and Paul will contrast their
differences (one such incident leads to a fist fight), serving as foils for one
another even as siblings, and in the next moment, they both stand peacefully in
the stream casting their strings, with Paul in particular becoming ever more
and more of a natural at the sport of fly fishing.
Without a doubt, the cinematography in a
River Runs Through It is incredible, which translates the movie as a whole into
a beautifully looking piece of work. The
camera encompasses the layers upon layers of forested mountains; in the next
shot, a person wades through the streams against the backdrop of the green
trees; in the next shot, we are looking at a foggy forest in the morning, the
steam rising through the peaceful trees, and so on.
A River Runs Through It is a film that
can be at times peaceful, poetic and philosophical, at other times tragic and
hard to watch, at other times funny and humorous, and at other times, simply entertaining. There are lessons to be learned in this film,
and there are instances where we can appreciate filmmaking as an art. This film is one of the more character driven
dramas that I have seen, and that, coupled with the excellent camerawork, is
what makes a River Runs Through It so admirable from both a thematic and visual
standpoint.
Even so, a River Runs Through It, for
all its worthy admiration, is not without its detractions, which include how
the film consistently feels like it wants to branch out to become something
more epic or impressive, and yet holds itself back. In perhaps, a simpler tone, the film, though
only at times, tries to become something more than itself even when it’s unnecessary. Take, for instance, when Paul and Norman
angrily fight it out in their kitchen.
Their mother steps in the way, and is accidently knocked over, leading
to the end of the fight. She insists
that it was neither brother’s fault and that she slipped on her own, and at
that point, Norman calmly remembers in voice over, “that was the only time we
ever fought.” Why? How?
Those kinds of questions go unanswered, and not only in this
example. Why is it that a River Runs
Through It tells us so many things, but doesn’t always leave an explanation for
what it’s telling us? Albeit, this sort
of criticism is the detraction which holds the film far back from masterpiece
status.
I sat down to a River Runs Through It
not looking forward to the film and thinking I would be constantly checking my
watch for when the film was finished.
Instead, I was marvelously sucked into the humble experience and never
once simply waited for the end. The film
was neither too fast moving nor too slowly paced, and proved itself with the
beautiful cinematography and strong character-driven plot. A River Runs Through It is a film that is
small but mighty, and that, my friends, is an achievement. B+
