The Clearing

Synopsis: A business man (Robert Redford) is kidnapped by a mild-mannered stranger (Willem Dafoe). This story unfolds in parallel to that of the kidnapped man's wife (Helen Mirren) and adult children trying to find out if they will ever see him again.

The Clearing is one of those films where the script would be more at home under a proscenium arch. It's theatrical rather than cinematic, thoughtful rather than thrilling, and seems a lot longer than its 91 minutes. Robert Redford, Helen Mirren, and Willem Dafoe are surprising and superb. Yet they're working with a story that suggests it will be more than it is and that doesn't quite know how to end.

Jan Brugge has produced a lot of good films, but his directorial debut is too artfully restrained. It's clever but slightly conceited. These characters need more to do to keep the ideas alive. This is Glengarry Glen Ross without the steak knives. Or maybe Intimate Strangers without the sex appeal. Or perhaps just one of those films with strange timelines that make you think about watching them again, if it weren't for the fact that they weren't that great the first time around.

On the bright side, the film does take the kidnapping genre to some interesting places. The division of the stories into that of Dafoe leading Redford deep into the forest, while Mirren is facing increasingly disturbing revelations at home, is effective and the emotional intensity of the film feels very genuine and hits home hard. But in the end, I couldn't, as much as I wanted to, like it, despite the efforts of these three great actors.

 

 

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