Imaginary Crimes (1994)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Everything about this film hinges on Fairuza Balk. She's an actress I'd encountered previously on occasion (Return to Oz, American History X, Almost Famous), but was never made aware of her deeper talent until now. Sonya, her character, narrates the film with a profound and uncomplicated insight. Sheila Ballantyne's writing provides the film with characters of great reality. Anthony Drazan, a director who's done almost nothing else, displays an excellent understanding of actors and internal conflicts. Speaking of the actors, there are a number of great performances on display here. Vincent D'Onofrio is always welcome, playing here a literary-minded school-teacher. Harvey Keitel is great, although playing firmly within type. Kelly Lynch is wondrous, appearing in flashbacks as Sonya's mother."Imaginary Crimes" really moved me. It's one of not too many films that offer events and characters free of mere plot points and chronological events. The passages of the story (starting as a series of loosely connected stories, but slowly progressing to a more coherent tale) build in a believable way, cementing into a depiction that shows all sides of the story. Like water seeping into every open crack, there are no holes or blank spaces left. Please see this film.

Follows the story of widowed father Ray Weiler (Harvey Kietel) trying to make it as a con artist in the 1950's. The story is told from the point of view of his daughter Sonya (Fairuza Balk) as she tries to struggle through her unenviable life while protecting her younger sister Greta (Elizabeth Moss) from their harsh environment. There's also the mandatory appearance by Vincent D'Onofrio, playing Sonya's English teacher who's actually more of a father to her than Ray ever was.Balk and Kietel are great in this. Kietel did the slimy, overbearing father role better than I thought he would. Balk was also very good as his disillusioned daughter; they had good dad-kid chemistry, in a disfunctional sort of way. I thought the script and story were great, too. It was very real, like it could have been based on someone's memoirs. Balk's monologue right before the credits role is the perfect ending for this sort of story. A film worth renting.

Being a big fan of Fairuza Balk's this movie done earlier in her career shows how talented she really is. It seems Fairuza is not a well known actress unless you mention The Craft or The Waterboy and people will say "oh her, she has done alot of movies?" Fairuza and Harvey Keitel play off one another so well as father and daughter. This movie is well written, well casted and well acted out. Sure there are a few boring parts but that goes with a drama type movie. Watch for a younger Amber Benson who is on Buffy The Vampire Slayer now as Tara. Also Vincent D'Onofrio plays a really good part as well. Crimes is a bit of a tear jerker and I have to say this movie Solidifies that Fairuza Balk is talented and that she deserves more credit than she gets. Christopher Penn has a small role in this as well. A few known faces in this one. But this sleeper hit is worth the time to rent. Chicks will like it for sure.

Is the wish for love greater than the need to hate? An interesting question posed by, and the complexity of which is examined in this film about the effects of the decisions we make during the course of our lives, and how those decisions ultimately affect our families and loved ones. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Sheila Ballantyne, `Imaginary Crimes,' directed by Anthony Drazan, stars Harvey Keitel as a widowed father raising two young daughters in 1950s Oregon. Ray Weiler (Keitel) is no role model for fathers, however. In fact, in the words of the author, `Never has a man less equipped for parenthood tried so hard.' And failed, she should have added. Ray is not a `bad' man, per se, but he's a dreamer and a schemer, following one deal of a lifetime after another that, up until the day she died, kept Valery (Kelly Lynch) and their daughters, Sonya (Fairuza Balk) and Greta (Elisabeth Moss) living in a one room basement apartment. To the very end, Valery was always a `technicality' away from what she wanted most: A home of her own. And when she died, that dream apparently died with her. Ray's dreams, however, continued; as did the dark clouds his lifestyle cast over the Weilers, beneath which they were forced to live every day without hope or respite. A dreary life, indeed, for two young girls with nowhere to turn. Told through the reminiscences of Sonya (with Balk providing effective voice-over narration), the story unfolds with the help of flashbacks which reflect the turmoil of young Sonya and Greta's lives with Ray. The sequences involving Valery are especially poignant, and presented with such care and subtly that it enables you to feel and share her every disappointment-- and there were many. You also share her joy at winning a simple raffle at the neighborhood movie theater, where she would escape with Sonya every Wednesday night. And when Sonya points out the fact that her mother cried at every film, no matter what it was, it says volumes about Valery's state of mind and the despair and unhappiness with which she lived, yet masked so convincingly in front of Sonya. It's also easy to understand the bond between the sisters, formed as a means of steeling themselves against the unconscionable neglect of their father. Though not physically abusive, the pain he inflicted on his daughters psychologically was immeasurable. Yet they stood by him; perhaps because they had nowhere else to go and no one to whom they could turn. Filmed on location in Oregon, the film has a wistful, almost dreamlike quality that successfully reflects the era it depicts, as well as the overall mood of the story, aided in no small part by the atmosphere director Drazan creates. He renders a touching sense of injustice that keeps the viewer acutely aware of the helpless and seemingly inescapable situation in which the girls are forced to remain, and he makes the girls so readily accessible that it is easy to emphasize with them. And it makes you realize that even as big as the world is, everybody lives within their own little part, and it's different for every individual. The world of your next door neighbor may not resemble the world in which you live in any way, shape or form; and because of that, need often goes undetected and want thrives. As Ray, Harvey Keitel is outstanding, giving a restrained and understated performance that allows you to like him and hate him at the same time. This is a complex character that Keitel develops extremely well, showing you the schemer and the con-man, but also giving you something of an indication of what lies beneath. This is a man capable of disciplined introspection, yet too selfish to do what he must know is the right thing by his family. He's a man who is past believing in himself, but has actually fallen victim to his own con and is unable to let loose of his irresponsible dreams. It's a strong performance, through which he paints the picture of a desperate man, who has no idea of just how desperate he is until it's too late. And the saddest thing about it is the effect it has on Sonya and Greta. Giving an affecting performance, as well, is the young Fairuza Balk, whose dark beauty and intensity make her perfect for the role of Sonya. She has such expressive eyes that they veritably serve as a window into the soul of her character, which nevertheless seems to emerge from a very private place, and one that gives it definition. Like Keitel, Balk's performance is rather restrained, which gives even more power to her already mesmerizing screen presence. She makes you understand how her circumstances have affected her, which she subtly conveys in the way she relates to those around her, including Greta. There's a sense of the exceptional about Balk, who in an industry filled with young actors seemingly just off the production line, remains unique and has served herself and her career well by exploring some diverse characters in such films as `American History X,' `Things To do In Denver When You're Dead,' `The Waterboy' and possibly her most definitive role, as that of the young witch in `The Craft.' Sonya is one of her more down-to-earth characters, and she delivers her quite well. The supporting cast includes Vincent D'Onofrio (Mr. Webster), Diane Baker (Abigail Tate), Chris Penn (Jarvis), Amber Benson (Margaret), Annette O'Toole (Ginny) and Seymour Cassel (Eddie). Thought provoking and emotionally involving, `Imaginary Crimes' will take you to a dark place, and it's one that may be all too familiar to some who see this film. This is no happily-ever-after fairy tale, but a very real look at some hard facts about the world in which we live and the people who surround us, and the necessity of reaching out to those who just may be in need. 9/10.