The Greatest (1/17/09)

The Greatest is a film starring Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon as two grieving parents who have just lost their teenage son in a car crash. I was lucky enough to sit in the very same row as both Pierce and Susan! Btw, Pierce is sexier in person than in any of his Bond movies. Yum.

The Greatest was definitely one of my favorites of the festival. It was shot in just 25 days by a first time director. Something I noticed when watching my films was that the majority of them were directed by women, which I found fascinating. The crash occurs immediately in the beginning, and then goes directly to a scene at the funeral. One of the most amazing shots is of Pierce, Susan, and the younger brother of the boy in the car on the way home from the service. It is a straight on shot of the three of them that lasts for literally 5 minutes. Just watching the expressions on the actors faces, you can feel their grief and still shock of the situation. Leaving the funeral of such a close family member is unimaginable, especially for someone like me who has lost no one close to her. I have no idea how this feels, but thanks to the amazing acting of the three actors, I could feel their emotions. The father, who is trying to block out any emotion and concentrate on something else completely. The mother who can't hardly believe the past 24 hours of her life. And the brother, who was just forced to grow up from a 15 year old to an adult. The fact that the shot lasts for such a long time without any changes is such a powerful way to convey what this family is going through.

I cried several times throughout this movie, but most of all when the younger brother finally lets his emotions out after holding them in for so long. The whole movie he pretends to be okay with the situation, and act as if him and his brother were never really that close. He finally lets loose that his brother wasn't an asshole, wasn't a jerk. He, in fact, was the perfect older brother.

The score of this movie was fantastic. I have been trying to find it all over the internet (unsuccessfully). It made every moment that much more powerful, and really brought out the emotions that much more. The actors alone made this movie what it is, but with the help of the score, their actions were enhanced greatly.

Here is a couple of pictures of Pierce and Susan, the quality isn't that great thanks to bad lighting, but you get the idea!