Quite simply, this film is amazing. Jeff Bridges (my all time favourite actor) is Max Klein, a man whose worst fear becomes realised when he is in a plane crash. However, Max not only survives the crash, but also leads other survivors to safety.
Surviving the crash causes Max to feel invincible, and he believes that nothing can kill him. This causes tension in his marriage, and between Max and his son, who are unable to understand Max’s new attitude. The only person who Max is able to connect with is a fellow survivor from the flight, Carla, a woman whose blames herself for her baby dying in the crash.
I feel that Jeff Bridges should, at the very least, have been nominated for an Oscar for this movie – his performance is simply outstanding, Rosie Perez, who played Carla, was in fact nominated. Also marvellous were Tom Hulce as the mercenary lawyer representing Max and his late business partner, and Isabella Rossellini, who played Max’s wife, struggling to come to terms with the change in her husband.
I found myself totally immersed in the story and lives of these characters; the film is totally compelling. The story itself was beautifully told, showing how extraordinary events can have an effect on people far beyond anything they could have imagined. The isolation felt by the two main characters was almost palpable.
Some people apparently believe that Max actually represents Jesus in this film. I mention this because it’s an interesting point of view; however, I don’t actually agree with it. But the movie is open to interpretation, and I love movies that make you think – this is definitely one of them.
The ending of the movie is particularly outstanding, but to single out one scene is perhaps unfair (there are many wonderful and moving scenes in this film; another that comes to mind is the scene where Max deliberately crashes his car to prove to Carla that she could not have saved her child, and therefore was not to blame for the child’s death). This is simply a terrific film throughout. Highly recommended.
Year of release: 1993
Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Rafael Yglesias
Main cast: Jeff Bridges, Isabella Rossellini, Rosie Perez, Tom Hulce
Between the Pages 
Leave a Reply