This received a 3.5/4 rating in my local paper, so knowing next to nothing about it, I went to an afternoon showing on a whim today. Ah, the joy of summer. This ended up being suprisingly good, with strong performances from Gael García Bernal, who I'd never seen before, William Hurt, who I know very little of, Pell James, who effectively played a character a decade younger than her with strong emotional intensity, and Laura Harring, in a stark role reversal from her amnesiac lesbian character in Mulholland Dr., the only other place I'd seen her.
Director James Marsh, helming only his 2nd feature film, utilizes a nice dulled color palette to accentuate the dried up, small town feeling of the Texas setting. The film simultaneously explores different character issues while never clearly explaining most of their motivations, which provides for an interesting viewing expierience. The intense moments of violence work well when contrasted with the uber-religious midwestern backdrop, where conflicting morals and values come into play. Overall, a very good film, apparently sorely lacking wide distribution or any sort of marketing. Glad it caught my eye in the paper today. Definitely recommended if you can find anywhere showing it.
