On Each Side (2006/Argentina/First Run Features DVD)
Picture: C Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C+
After so
many Hollywood productions tried to imitate the critical and commercial success
of Crash (usually skipping or not
being able to grasp its origins in the far more complex cinema of Robert
Altman) using unrelated storylines in an attempt to do something multi-layered,
then pull it all together to make a big statement. Altman was never that simple of predictable,
and though Hugo Grosso’s On Each Side
(2006) is not on the Altman level, it is better than most of the U.S. imitators
by showing new territory we have not seen enough of in The States.
The title
refers to the locales on both sides of a bridge that is taking a few years to
build and how separate live sin each case unfolds. The casting and acting is very good, the
dialogue and writing convincing, but some of it just does no add up, is not
always convincing and tries to juggle more than it can handle in its 95
minutes. It either needed more time or a
less ambitious course. However, it is
worth seeing once just for a different take on lives we do not see enough.
The letterboxed
1.78 X 1 image is soft and shot on video, likely not High Definition, but has
some good color, composition and interesting locations. Also expect some of other visual flaws
throughout, while the Dolby Digital 2.0 is simple stereo at best and fares
better than the image overall, despite location recording issues. Extras include a text filmmaker’s statement,
more on Indonesia and the Global Lens Series.
- Nicholas Sheffo
