TNMC

Written by John Shea Against the Current is an indie film written and directed by Peter Callahan.  To discuss this film properly I'm going to have to bring up some plot points that are surpises of sorts in the story.  So if you'd really rather know nothing, move on, check it out and come back.

The film follows the path of Paul (Joseph Fiennes) who has decided to swim the Hudson River from Troy down to New York City.  He does this to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of his pregnant wife.  At the end of that journey, he intends to join them.  His best friend Jeff (Justin Kirk) and his friend Liz (Elizabeth Reaser) come along to pilot a boat behind Paul during his journey.  Neither of them know at the outset what Paul's intentions are.

Being an indie film, a happy ending is not guaranteed.  This slowly becomes clear as the story progresses.  Liz and Jeff rail against Paul's death wish but he will not be disuaded.  There is no miracle change of heart or a simple argument that can easily turn things around.  This is a man who has lived with immense pain for years and cannot get over it.  Time is not healing his wounds.  He doesn't want to hurt anymore.  His entire family has passed on and he can't think of any good reason not to join them.  Society has in some grudging cases slowly come around to the idea that it may be cruel to force someone to continue living in tremendous incurable pain rather than let them decide to end it.  But that idea is never applied to severe emotional pain.  This film essentially asks "why not?"

Fiennes finds an unusual but eloquent way to portray a man who wants to die.  He never over sells his character's pain.  It's there, you can see it lurking behind sad eyes most of the time, but he virtually never brings it out demonstrably.  Most of the time Paul comes across as peaceful, maybe even content.  Having accepted his end Paul has decided to properly enjoy this final trip.  The journey itself is a way of saying he has accomplished something during his time.  And every stop of the way he makes sure to enjoy a particular food or treat.  Rarely have you seen someone enjoy a Coke so thoroughly.

Paul also makes a point of spending his last days with the most important person left in his life, his best friend Jeff.  In a movie with a central theme revolving around suicide, you would expect the tone to be grim and depressing.  But the interaction between these two keeps that from being true.  They have a great chemistry, with Callahan's dialog accurately capturing the aggressive, semi-abusive banter long time friends can have.  You always know how important they are to one another, without it having to descend into sappy sentimentality.  Often, Jeff's snarky comments carry a bit of an edge as he battles with himself on what to do about Paul.  A film that takes such a weighty subject and actual investigates all the nuances is rare and much appreciated.

Mary Tyler Moore turns up midway through as Liz's uptight mother and steals every single scene she's in.  Amazingly that doesn't unbalance the movie.  Her character is well enough written that her over the top behavior actually serves a purpose for the story.

The imagery is gorgeous.  Endless shots of the Hudson Valley fill the screen with natural eye candy.  Having grown up in that area, I actually found it a hair distracting.  Rather than just enjoying the beauty, my mind buzzed, trying to figure out where each shot was taken along the river.  Most people will never have that problem though, so don't worry about it.  Just enjoy.