Starring
Jodelle Ferland, Brendan Fletcher, Janet McTeer, Jeff Bridges,
Jennifer Tilly Dylan Taylor, Wendy Anderson. Directed by Terry
Gilliam. (2005/120 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Fluffy the Fearlessđ
Anyone
familiar with Terry Gilliam already knows he doesn't give a damn
about you, me or the expectations of any major studio stupid enough to
trust him with their millions. Even his most commercial films reflect
a considerable amount of self-indulgence, and it's often pretty
apparent he's his own biggest fan. That's not meant as criticism.
Gilliam's films have a look and tone like no other - including those
that were accidental mainstream hits - the work of a director
who's wired differently than the rest of us.
But
even by Gilliam's standards, Tideland is really out
there.
Jeliza-Rose
(Jodelle Ferland) is a little girl whose active imagination helps her
cope with the world's worst parents. When we first meet her, she's
living in squalor, cooking a heroin fix for dad, Noah (Jeff Bridges),
a has-been musician. Her mother (Jennifer Tilly) is arguably worse,
not only a junkie herself, but verbally abusive. After Mom dies from
a methadone overdose, Noah and Jeliza take a bus to his childhood
home, an abandoned and dilapidated old farmhouse in the middle of
nowhere. When Noah also OD's and dies, Jeliza is alone.
She retreats from reality into her own fantasy world with dolls' heads
as companions, eventually meeting her eccentric neighbors, Dell
(Janet McTeer), who Jeliza first-believes is a ghost or witch, and
Dickens (Brendan Fletcher), her mentally impaired son. Meanwhile,
Noah's corpse becomes bloated and rotten. For most of the film, we aren't sure
if Dell & Dickens are figments of Jeliza's active imagination,
especially once Dell uses her taxidermy skills to preserve Noah. And the uneasy relationship between these three is just getting started.
 |
| "Look what Santa left us!" |
Not
only is Tideland Gilliam's strangest film, it's also his
bleakest. Despite 'whimsical' sequences of Jeliza and Dickens at-play
in her fantasy world, it is unremittingly dark, becoming increasingly
disturbing by introducing sexual overtones. Yet at the same
time, this is Gilliam at his most rambling and self-indulgent. Despite offering up
heaping helpings of his patented weirdness, the narrative often feels
episodic and directionless. It's a good bet that anyone not 100%
in-sync with Gilliam's sensibilities will run out of patience - and
tolerance - long before the end credits roll. It's almost as if he's
daring people to actually enjoy it.
Some
will, though. Tideland is visually arresting (and looks great on this disc). Gilliam's unique
flare for surreal imagery and inventive camera angles is here in abundance. Additionally, considering her age, the requirements of
her role and how long she's on-screen all by herself, Jennifer
Ferland's performance is nothing short of remarkable.
In
an introduction included with this Blu-ray release, Gilliam proudly
declares viewers will either love it or hate it. I guess we can add
'master of understatement' to his list of talents, because Tideland
is easily the most polarizing movie he's ever made. One can't help
but think that was his intention all along (sort-of making this his
own Natural Born Killers). Available on Blu-ray for the first time, Tideland comes with a lot of interesting supplemental material. None of it was created specifically for this release, but it's always amusing to listen to Gilliam and see how he works.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
"GETTING
GILLIAM" - This is a 45 minute documentary by Vincent Natali
(Cube), made during the production of Tideland.
FEATURETTES
- "The Making of Tideland"; "Filming Green
Screen"
INTERVIEWS
- Featuring Terry Gilliam, producer Jeremy Thomas, Jeff Bridges,
Jennifer Tilly, Jeff Bridges (parts of these interviews are also
featured in Getting Gilliam documentary).
INTRODUCTION
BY TERRY GILLIAM
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - By Gilliam and co-writer Tony Grisoni.
GALLERY
B-ROLL
FOOTAGE
TRAILER
DELETED
SCENES
KITTY CONSENSUS:
WTF?!? EVEN FOR TERRY GILLIAM
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