MOMENTS OF CLARITY
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: Apparently-autistic and flighty Claire is
considered the "nut" of the neighborhood, even when
she goes around delivering her baked muffins to
near-strangers. Now she gets to see some of the rest
of the world. A trip to a store with her pastor's
daughter turns into an extended road trip when the
two personalities clash. Both women will learn about
family secrets and will gain an appreciation for each
other. The plot is rather generic and familiar but
there are moments good humor and, yes, clarity. Stev
Elam directs a script by Christian Lloyd and Kristin
Wallace. Rating: high +1 (-4 to +4) or 6/10
Claire (played by Kristin Wallace, who co-authored) is in her mid-
twenties and is the pariah of most of her neighborhood. She is
obsessively merry as she flits around on the street, but where she
goes disasters seem to follow. Nearly everyone she knows shuns her
presence. And just as cheerful as Claire is, so is Claire's mother
Henrietta (Saxon Trainor) dour. The mother thinks of little but
danger and of her own fears. Then there is Danielle (Lyndsy
Fonseca), the daughter of Claire's minister, Pastor Paul (Mackenzie
Astin). She has some sympathy for Claire, but is uninterested in a
deep friendship.
As she often seems to be, Claire is at the wrong place at the wrong
time resulting in a hit-and-run driver causing the destruction of
Danielle's Super 8 camera. Somehow Danielle accepts the blame that
should have gone to the driver. The two women agree to go to a
nearby town to replace the camera. Instead their trip turns into
an unexpectedly long and emotional drive of mutual and self-
discovery.
Claire lives in a Twilight-Zone-ish world in which nearly everyone
seems to be just a bit off-kilter. Claire is considered strange,
but there is enough bizarre in the town to go around. Every male
her age Claire meets seems obsessed with his own sex kinks. One
exception, however, is Trevor (A. J. Rauth) whose only eccentricity
is playing a ukulele in a restroom. Trevor complicates Claire's
relationship with Danielle.
The characters' behaviors are strange, but are not really
consistent. Henrietta is debilitated by her fear of the outside
world, but later seems to function in it reasonably well.
Inconsistent behavioral quirks seem dropped on the characters at
random. The story is about as predictable as what day of the week
tomorrow will be. The script strives to leave the viewer feeling
good, but not in a particularly believable way. This is a film
that relies heavily on a suspension of disbelief in the characters.
And perhaps we have had enough films in which psychological
problems are considered cute and funny. I rate moments of clarity
a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale or 6/10. MOMENTS OF CLARITY will
have its US release on March 30, 2016.
Film Credits:
<
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3359754/combined>
Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 2016 Mark R. Leeper
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