Oscar® winner Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) is "a joy to watch" (Newsday) as a defiant idealist in this "moving, often hilarious coming-of-age story" (Vogue) from writer-director Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity), Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich), Camilla Belle (Practical Magic), Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys), Jason Lee (Almost Famous) and Jena Malone (Saved!) co-star. Jack (Day Lewis) and his 16-year-old daughter Rose (Belle) live on a beautiful island off the East Coast. When he invites his mainland girlfriend (Keener) and her two teenage sons to come live with them, it is Rose's first exposure to society - and sexuality. As worlds collide, the consequences will threaten not only Jack and Rose's way of life but also their unusually close bond.
2.
Soured radical Jack (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his adoring daughter Rose (Camilla Belle) have formed an unsettling degree of happy intimacy in an abandoned commune. But Jack's heart condition leaves him fearful of what will happen to Rose when he dies; to create a family, he invites home his secret girlfriend Kathleen (Catherine Keener, Lovely and Amazing) and her two sons, one overweight and neurotic (Ryan McDonald), the other an aspiring thug (Paul Dano). The collision of cultures and personalities leads to disaster--but this movie is so honestly written and vividly acted that it's impossible not to be drawn in. Great work from Day-Lewis and Keener is no surprise, but Belle matches them as a near wild-child confronting the compromises and conflicting desires of adult life. The perfectly pitched cast also includes Jena Malone (Saved), Jason Lee (Mumford), and Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys). Writer/director Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity) has a gift for both hope and heartbreak. This is only the third film of what promises to be a long and rich career. --Bret Fetzer
3.
Writer-director Rebecca Miller's third film (following ANGELA and PERSONAL VELOCITY) is a powerful, poignant drama about a father and daughter living on their own on the outskirts of nowhere, just as developers are starting to move in. Daniel Day-Lewis (Miller's husband) stars as Jack Slavin, a 1960s holdover who is a man of the earth, working the land and defending his territory while eschewing such modernities as television. Jack is devoted to his daughter, Rose (Camilla Belle), a 16-year-old girl who is equally as devoted to him. But Jack is sick, so he asks his girlfriend, Kathleen (Catherine Keener), along with her two sons, Rodney (Ryan McDonald) and Thaddius (Paul Dano), to come from the mainland and move in with them, thinking they can be Rose's family once he dies. But Rose begins to act out in dangerous ways, threatening to severely damage the already fragile relationships that are developing. Day-Lewis gives a shattering, emotional performance as Jack, and he is matched well with Belle, who seems wise beyond her years. Filmed on location on Prince Edward Island, THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE is a harrowing, intimate film set in a beautiful, lush land.
This film screened at the 2005 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas.
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