Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

lastliberal Pascale Bussieres, a Quebecois actress makes her English- speaking debut, as Camille, a teacher at a Christian college that has never let loose.She is crying in a laundromat after losing her dog, when she meets Petra (Rachael Crawford), a circus performer. Showing up at the circus to deliver laundry that Petra left behind, Camille enters a world of fantasy that she has never experienced.Canadian film maker Patricia Rozema (Kit Kittredge: An American Girl) gives us a strangely surreal world in which freedom and change battles repression and conformity.The film was given an NC-17 rating, ostensibly for the lesbian sex scenes, and this affected the ratings given by some reviewers, but the heterosexual scene with Camille's fiancée was much more graphic. The lesbian scenes are tastefully done in a soft focus and very beautiful.Everyone dreams of running off to join the circus at one time or another. In this case, it is a metaphor for being who you truly are. It takes courage, and we wonder whether or not Camille possesses that courage.A gloriously beautiful film with a marvelous love story.

pamelasl Patricia Rozema, director and writer, is a genius in her field of work. Her first film astonished me, called I've Heard The Mermaids Singing. I've watched this film dozens of times, and I can understand why it received so many awards, and why Sheila McCarthy, star of the film, is now a star of television and stage.Ms. Rozema's 3rd film, When Night Is Falling, which she wrote and directed, starring Rachael Crawford and Pascale Bussieres, won 2 awards, and is a story about opposites attract, and the two young women falling in love in spite of their backgrounds. If you are looking for an innocent and beautiful lesbian romance that is unique, entertaining, and honest to a fault, then this is the film to watch. You will definitely want a copy for your library.

Russell Sweetpapers This film is tremendously human, and very beautiful. Watch it.That's really all I want to say, but the IMDb, in its wisdom, insists on an essay.While most lengthy comments truly are useful, considered and very detailed, they don't necessarily give you any better an idea of what a film is *like*, beyond what the blurb on a video box tells you. I saw such a blurb for this film and it dissuaded me from bothering to watch it until I'd forgotten about it.I like it. Other things I like are people, love, closeness. I'm white, Western, middle-aged, male, bisexual, middle-class.This is a film about people, love and closeness. It's tremendously optimistic, and it's completely devoid of the spiteful "cleverness" which seems to blight so many adult-targeted films. People rave about, say, The Godfather, which I detest, or Pulp Fiction, which I detest even more. If, like me, you find you have better things to do with your time than sit through three hours of gangster-related faux intellectualism, you might, like me, find that you very much enjoy this fabulously directed and produced feast for the sympathetic.Nothing, but nothing truly awful happens to anyone in this film. No vengeful, base emotion is indulged in the viewer, no cheapening of pain or trivialisation of death. The characters, though, are solid and believable.There are some delicious love scenes, and the plot is unashamedly up-beat. If you liked "Nine Songs", you might not like this. If you liked "The Dreamers" or "Holy Smoke" or "Gauzon Maudit" then you might like this, although apart from sumptuous cinematography it's not that similar to any of those.If you're apt to be offended by a perhaps jaded (if sympathetic) view of a Christian church, or by homosexuality (lesbianism), love, women, interracial relationships or happiness then stick with pretentious films about murder or whatever. If you like people, I think it's hard to dislike this film.

LunaSin This is one of the best lesbian films I've ever watched. What I love most about this film is how the love scenes are tastefully acted and filmed. In contrast, many - if not most - lesbian films leave little left to the imagination. Another stark comparison is the fact that there are no serial killers, psychotics, or otherwise deranged characters. As we all know, it's not only common but inevitably predictable that heterosexually created films depicting G & L characterizations will include at least one of the aforementioned. Another aspect I find tremendously appealing is that the women involved in the depicted lesbian relationship are anyone's woman - meaning, not mannish or ostentatious at all. The script, direction, and acting are immensely above average in the lesbian film genre! All of the actors portray their characters convincingly. The circumstances in which they come together are easily conceivable in a real life scenario. The way it's filmed is appealing and displays moments of arty elements. I am of the opinion that this is a definite must own DVD.