Housekeeping

1987 "The story of a woman slightly distracted by the possibilities of life."
7.1| 1h56m| PG| en
Details

In the Pacific Northwest during the 1950s, two young sisters whose mother has abandoned them wind up living with their Aunt Sylvie, whose views of the world and its conventions don't quite live up to most people's expectations.

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Reviews

Flyerplesys Perfectly adorable
PodBill Just what I expected
Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.
Charlie-209 Years since I saw it in the moviehouse or video. NOT a comedy in the yuk yuk sense. I only wish I could have been on the set to say, "Bill, Focus more on the girls, not the aunt! You did them both so well!" It was just a question of balance in this absorbing movie. Christine Lahti had such a good, strong performance and Forsyth let her take the movie, or at least gave many viewers the idea that her character's the focus. Stunning scenery, wonderful evocation of family and place, and fascinates with its exploration of watery metaphors for our connection to and removal from people. Very faithful in tone to the book (a must-read by marilyn robinson, BTW), which I read after seeing the movie more than once. I wish I could see it on the big screen again.
David Watson This is a film of a rare, intimate perception that is aimed with pinpoint precision at a few unusual characters and the places they inhabit. At first its subjects seem simple, but like many people do, these characters are merely shielding themselves, hesitant to reveal much of their real natures except as as rare gifts in intimate moments. It must have been tremendously challenging to create and portray natural introverts like these characters, but as an introvert myself (I assert that characteristic without any touch of self-disparagement), I found this story rewardingly resonant of my own experience, especially of childhood memories, although indeed my outward circumstances had little in common with this story.Almost never has any film conveyed a sense and feeling of a few small places so clearly and so effortlessly. We cherished the village in "Local Hero", but Fingerbone is an incomparably more realistic and deftly drawn place (despite occasional overreaching, e.g., the town's name, and a train accident that stretches credulity in more than one way).For anyone willing to watch, dusk and the blue pre-dawn illuminate and suffuse these characters' lives. Sylvie sits by herself in the "dark", but there are wonderful secrets to discover in places that seem a void to others. Even well-meaning intrusions, like interruptions to meditation, can seem tragic.Even more distinctly than Forsyth's other work, this film certainly wouldn't appeal to everyone, but it is a beautiful and evocative character study that has the courage to deal with personalities, events and emotions too obscure or inaccessible for most mainstream filmmakers. Forsyth deserves credit for having gotten this made in the first place, as well as for the eclectic perception that gave the film its many unique and worthwhile qualities.
boscoe6 A beautifully crafted work by Forsythe and team, this charachter study blends slight humor, emotional angst, and a fitting musical score. A constant in the movies' theme is that the choices dealt with by the lead characters have life-long and life-altering effects. Deeply sad and moving in spots and very open to contemplation after viewing.
pjmurphyjr The way this movie ends with the shot of the railroad tracks - reminded me of the way in school they ask two parallel lines ever meet? Mathematically the answer is no but visually it's hard to believe. That dichotomy is at work here in what you feel has been done will happen.The ambiguity is refreshing when most movie makers or studios feel that `happy' or obvious ending are the only thing an audience will take.I was so moved by this movie I also read the book which is as wonderful... A total total joy.