The Myth of Fingerprints (1997)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Bart Freundlich

Writer:

Bart Freundlich (written by)

Release Date:

17 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Plot:

An ambitious debut for writer/director Bart Freundlich charting the unrest with a family who gather together for thanks giving.

Plot Keywords:

Thanksgiving | Exhibitionism | Family Relationships | Dysfunctional Family | Mustard

Awards:

1 win & 8 nominations

Cast

Randee Allen	...	Waitress
Arija Bareikis	...	Daphne
Justin Barreto	...	Young Jake
Chris Bauer	...	Jerry
Nicholas Bourgeois	...	Young Warren
Tom Cumler	...	Man at Train Station
Blythe Danner	...	Lena
Hope Davis	...	Margaret
Christopher Duva	...	Tom
Kelsey Gunn	...	Young Leigh
Laurel Holloman	...	Leigh
Brian Kerwin	...	Elliot
James LeGros	...	Cezanne
Julianne Moore	...	Mia
Polly Pelletier	...	Young Mia

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and language.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | France:U | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Andover, Maine, USA

Company:

Eureka Pictures

Quotes:

Jake: I know your true passion theory about two people destined to be together, but we can't all be filled with that much faith, trust and emotion. It just means if you have someone you're not alone. You're not going to find that in some fairy tale romance. Sometimes you have to sit through low times where you don't necessarily feel overwhelmingly, totally in love all the time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Law & Order: Myth of Fingerprints (#12.7)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye Faithful)

A modern masterpiece?

I am always hard-pressed to find a movie made in this decade that can move me as much, as say, 'Love Story' or 'The Way We Were' did simply because people aren't making movies now that are so GOOD. 'The Myth of Fingerprints', however, is astoundingly powerful, in its subtle way of course, but its power is there nonetheless, and that is the point. This movie's plot is not really very original, its story emulating that true and tested family gathering "genre" where feelings long hidden and events long supressed inevitably surface, leaving the audience with a rather cathartic ending where normality is established and the house is once again set in order. There is something about this movie, however, that brings to mind Redford's masterpiece "Ordinary People", because like that movie, 'The Myth Of Fingerprints' "imprints" the thoughts and feelings and the subtle nuances of family life on the viewer so damn well. This movie doesn't just invite you to share the joys and pains of this family, but it grabs you and places you right into the scene. It is almost as if you are there, too, eating Thanksgiving dinner with them, like you were a friend of the family's and have known them for a long, long time. Noah Wyle gives a great performance, considering he is an amature to the big screen. Blythe Danner is still as lovely as ever, as are the rest of this astoundingly good looking family. If it is not quite a modern masterpiece of family drama in the 90's, show me something else that surpasses it, and I'll make my judgement then.