Another Harvest Moon (2010)

Pretty Good

Don't Believe the Hype

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

A 92-year-old Ernest Borgnine delivers an outstanding performance in 'Another Harvest Moon' as a dementia sufferer who considers ending his life with dignity before it's too late. A number of accomplished actors and actresses join Borgnine, including Cybill Shepherd (Robert De Niro's love interest in 'Taxi Driver') and Piper Laurie (the creepy mother in 'Carrie'). The performances are consistently strong, and completely convincing. Whilst the themes of the film aren't very original, 'Another Harvest Moon' delivers its narrative without losing its integrity. There are no Nurse Ratcheds tormenting the care home's residents, and all of the characters are, fundamentally, good and likable people. (This may explain its commercial failure!) Borgnine's co-residents include a woman in the advanced stages of dementia (Laurie), another with debilitating hip problems (Anne Meara), and a third with terminal cancer (Doris Roberts). Their history, problems and conversations are surprisingly interesting; Jeremy T. Black deserves praise for creating such ordinary yet vivid characters. 'Another Harvest Moon' is, in a word, realistic. Whilst it has its sad moments, the title is not exploitative, awarding its characters the dignity they so desperately cling to. Don't be deterred by the number of votes (fewer than 150 when I wrote this review), as Greg Swartz's film is probably the most unfairly obscure title I've ever seen. (Also, if you're attracted by strong scores, Kenny Barron's soundtrack for 'Another Harvest Moon' is excellent.)

I've never seen the late, great Ernest Borgnine give anything other than a fine performance, but in one of his last movies he outdoes himself and should have gotten an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Frank, an elderly man contemplating suicide in this deftly written story. According to the production notes this was Borgnine's 199th film and he was 92 when he made it.Borgnine leads a first class ensemble of Piper Laurie as June suffering from dementia, Doris Roberts as Alice with terminal cancer and Anne Meara as wheelchair bound Ella as his fellow nursing home residents. Rounding out the cast are Richard Schiff as the son coming to grips with the father he loves but feels he disappointed, a gracefully aging Cybill Shepard as the daughter who refuses to let go and Cameron Monaghan doing a fine job playing a teenage grandson who's still more interested in his grandfather than his iPod. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will recognize the lovely Amber Benson who plays June's (Piper Laurie) granddaughter torn between her love & loyalty for her grandmother and the necessity of living her own life.In this movie are none of the easy, cheap tricks we've come to expect with movies that focus on the elderly. Borgnine's Frank isn't ignored or forgotten by his family. The nursing home isn't some low-grade horror show of indifference to its patients. Frank's nurse Paul (played by Sunkrish Bala) even becomes such a good friend he gets invited on family outings.Instead what we get in this movie are real questions on quality versus quantity of life, the value of dignity, and how the person himself and his family deal with end of life issues. We're presented with two different points of view with Borgnine playing Frank a man who's lost too many pieces of himself: physically with the loss of the use of one arm, limited mobility from multiple strokes and mentally (in one of his most powerful scenes) when he admits he can no longer remember what his wife looked like or the faces of his friends so Frank comes to want to die. On the opposite side there's Doris Roberts' Alice the eternal optimist even though she's dying from metastatic cancer. Alice still looks forward to striking it rich on lotto tickets every week, just started a class learning Spanish and constantly holds onto the hope that her friend June can still recover her mind.Mostly this is a movie about little moments: the warmth of sunlight, the casual everyday indignity of people coming into the room when Frank's sanitary pad is being changed, the bonds of friendship that form in a nursing home, the frustration & love of family life. But there are some dramatic and powerful moments as when Borgnine's Frank recalls a war scene or tries to kill himself or the scene where the distraught grandson offers to help.Filmed on location in Pennsylvania, the nursing home was an actual hospital, the recently closed Pennsylvania State Hospital campus (also the location for Girl, Interrupted). The directing of this movie suited the material, being quiet, unobtrusive and leaving the actors to do their job and carry the story.This movie left me with tears in my eyes especially since I didn't see this movie until after Ernest Borgnine's death earlier this year. Unfortunately, this movie is not available on DVD in the US, but Encore Drama is showing it which is how I got to see it. If you get a chance to see this movie and you like small, intimate movies about a real issue that so many of us have faced or will face, I recommend you watch Another Harvest Moon.

I attended a screening of this film today in NYC. Did not know too much about it, but the cast intrigued me. Cybill Shepherd being one of my favorites. Doris Roberts and Anne Meara are also excellent. Piper Laurie gives a great performance as a gal with dementia. The soundtrack music was very good, and the film should be viewed by any adult that is caring for an elderly loved one. I hope this film gets a distributor.Ernest Borgneine gives an Oscar worthy performance, and really commands the screen. Cybill Shepherd looks great and gives a touching performance as the main characters daughter. A must see! The location shots are also beautiful, being filmed in Pennslyvania.