Antonia's Line
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Movie Reviews of Antonia's Line
Movie Review: "I hope you die in peace, mother. Though that is unlikely."
Summary: 5 Stars
"Antonia's Line" is an unforgettably sincere, quickly moving and always compelling tale of a small Dutch town and an incredible woman who chronicles the lives of deceptively simple, but actually very complex characters. This is just quality film; from beginning to end we are swept into the sometimes grand and sometimes pathetic plights of characters with colorful names like Looney Lips (a mentally handicapped farmhand who is rescued by Antonia from a sociopathic pedophile along with his equally challenged sibling), Crooked Finger (a Schopenhauerian philosopher, bibliophile and absolute recluse who descends further and further into depression), and of course Antonia herself, an independent and free spirited woman who wants to give her daughter, Therese, the chance to experience a life of independent choices without the dictates of men.
Apparently the feminist sentiments expressed in the film have caused some male viewers to grow embittered and insecure. It didn't really bother me that much. The real world is not like this, and nowhere on earth would you find such a politically correct arrangement. It is a MOVIE, and a great one at that.
And Danielle's granddaughter! An ingenious metaphysician who talks about the existence or non-existence of God with the ill-fated Crooked Finger at age 5, this actress' performance was phenomenal. Even when she is in the act of giving birth she has a book in her hands.
The important quality this possesses is the complete lack of artificiality. Life is just how it is, with all the ups and downs, and to these natural beings too much thinking is a negation of life (finally given complete expression by Crooked Finger's suicide). Not the feminism, but this was the only thing that bothered me about the movie: the anti-intellectualism. Analysis is poison, apparently.
This deserved every award it got. I saw it awhile ago and haven't forgotten a thing. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Race, gender, and the role of motherhood
Summary: 5 Stars
Antonia's line is an amazing film about four generations of strong, independent women. While most movies about single mothers stereotype them in both positive and negative ways, Antonia's Line is different. Antonia moves back to the dutch countryside after being away for twenty years. She has to face many difficulties in the town, yet through it all she is a pillar of strength. She knows what she wants, and she acts upon it, regardless of what people think of her. She passes on these same views to her daughter. Antonia's line seems to critique the normal stereotypes by portraying Antonia as a foil to them. Her honesty, and disregard for public opinion sets her apart. The film also works to intersect Antonia's race, culture, gender and class in an amazing web that shapes her character. The influence of Antonia's race is clear in the way that she acts around the people of the town. She explains to her daughter who each person is, and why they act the way that they do. She knows how to handle even the most obnoxious of the town memebers. She is every bit a women, yet she exhaults in her femininity rather than hiding behind it. She makes her opinions and ideas well known. She is not afraid of the judgement that may accompany her views. She entertains suitors, while maintaining an honest attitude about exactly what she wants. She is able to accept her family for who they are without exception. Antonia's Line is a wonderful story with fully developed characters. Antonia and her family portray the true essence of femininity better than any other characters I have seen. Do not let the subtitles stop you. This film is a must see.Movie Review: The circle game
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, it is true that this is a film in which women are at the forefront and men are in the background, but to see this strictly as a "womens film" is to miss the point entirely. This is about the cycle of life, how people, all sorts of people, make their choices and how each of those choices have their comic moments and their tragic ones. Antonia, the central figure both in her extended family and in this movie, has the presence of mind to notice that circumstances evolve at their own pace. Some of the choices, such as Antonia's daughter Danielle deciding that she wants a child if not a husband, seem unusual at first, but the inherent rightness of that choice asserts itself as the story progresses. And some things, the filmmaker seems to say, just happen inexplicably; why exactly does the Mad Madonna, a woman in her forties, bay at the full moon like a dog? And why does the man in the apartment below the Mad Madonna love her anyway, but never shows it? We'll never know, but it's not as if we always have to. That's the pace this movie takes, of life unfolding, and it's engaging right to the very end.Movie Review: Sensitive, Surreal, Humorous, and Inimitable!
Summary: 5 Stars
ANTONIA'S LINE continues as fresh today as when it was released and awarded Oscars in 1995. This very fine little Dutch film mocks the old adage of 'You can't go back home again' by introducing Antonia and her daughter returning to a village she had abandoned and setting up changes among the odd assortment of townsfolk that initiate a heritage of both wonderful and tragic events, each of which is a parable about family and community. The women rule here, even to the point of deciding to conceive by barter, by compulsion, and by taking arms against the macho power symbols of rape. All manner of variations of normal (spiritually possessed, moon howlers, disillusioned priests, mentally retarded, social outcasts) come under the influence of Antonia's strongly worldwise persona. The results are like a fairy tale for adults, both in content and in the wonderful visual effects. The cast is extraordinary as is the pacing of hte direction. The message of this film endures - it pleads to be viewed regularly.Movie Review: A Gem
Summary: 5 Stars
Antonia's Line is a gem. When Antonia returns to her small Dutch village after WWII, she brings her daughter Danielle, who observes small-town life with an artist's understanding of truth -- in relationships, in history, in faith. Herself an outsider, Antonia becomes the matriarch of a group of outsiders, including a nihilistic philosopher-hermit, a former priest, an ex-prostitute, and two mentally disabled adults. Antonia's brilliant granddaughter and imaginative great-granddaughter carry on the tale begun by Antonia and Danielle. What makes the film stand out is that the story of these women and their extended family captures the dignity, humor, and heart at the center of small moments in daily life. The film seems to say, "we don't often notice it, but the difference is made in those little moments." This film is actually one of those difference-making little things: you certainly can live well without seeing Antonia's Line, but you'll live better having seen it.