Evening

Evening (Lajos Koltai, 2007) - B

Would be so much stronger if it weren't so fucking aggressive, determined to squeeze tears from your eyes if it kills it, you, and the rest of the audience. Seriously: more small-scale character stuff and less Vanessa Redgrave chasing butterflies; I often complain about movies that consist of non-stop heart-to-hearts, but here the heart-to-hearts work, and there's a scene mid-film between Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy that's just about unmatched this year in terms of force. But while I'm generally a fan of unrestrained dramatics, much of the film veers toward the maudlin: any character who confesses his undying love only to be rebuffed has to die in short order, of course, but Evening actually fakes us out once before dropping the hammer on the poor guy. The last half hour loses all sense of decorum, basically cudgeling us with scene after scene of emotional fever pitch -- some people die, others deliver speeches, still others triumphantly announce pregnancies. Even there, though, a few moments make it through: two sisters gripping hands, an old friend at the deathbed, the touching, understated final shot. Or maybe I just succumbed to the film's merciless beating. Evening's constant battle stance leaves it an occasionally effective series of emotional beats rather than a story.