Gripping story with well-crafted characters

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.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The film THE HEALER (a.k.a. "Julie Walking Home") poses the kind of unsettling metaphysical questions that many prefer to avoid asking. At the same time, it suggests some intriguing answers. Like the film THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO (please see companion review) the movie "The Healer" is a study of the degrees to which human beings can enjoy the gift of human sexuality while simultaneously attempting to serve as channels for spiritual healing, social harmony, and political integrity. That Alexei--played flawlessly by Lothaire Bluteau--is a true and gifted spiritual healer becomes clear from the outset.We witness him as a child in a hospital where doctors discover that standing him on the back of an ailing patient relieves the patient's pain. Moreover, his very presence apparently has a healing impact on every patient in the ward. As an adult, Alexei becomes famous as a healer who shares his gifts freely with the world. But like the proverbial prophet without honor in his own hometown, he has to endure the complaints of an aging mother who points out that not only is his spiritual generosity towards the world doing nothing to alleviate her financial distress but it is perhaps not the best way to prepare for his own latter years.Much of "The Healer" actually centers around the rift that occurs in the life of the Makowskys, a Canadian family whose happiness is torn asunder when the husband--played with superb complexity by William Fichtner--has an affair, and the young son develops cancer. Is the child's disease a physical manifestation of the family's spiritual dis-ease following the father's adultery? Good question to ponder.In her desperation to save their son, the mother--exemplary work here by Miranda Otto--seeks out the assistance of the healer Alexei. From their very first meeting, the attraction between them is clearly both spiritual and sexual. The child is indeed healed and all returns uneasily to their separate lives. Then Alexei visits the mother and the two have an affair. Their sexual union seems to rob the healer of his ability to help the little boy when his cancer returns. However, ironically, it also results in a pregnancy. Is this a bad thing or a good thing for the family and the healer? Pay close attention to the end and see what you think.by Author-Poet Aberjhani, author of "The Bridge of Silver Wings"

I knew nothing about this film when I watched it on Sundance Channel the other day. So I was able to let it "hit me" with no preconceived ideas. If you haven't watched it yet, please do so before reading anything else.Now, in general: Great acting, very realistic feel, and the children were amazing. It felt unscripted whenever they were on screen, their characters and personalities seemed so realistic! And all the adults were also very human and real.The ending: I've had to ponder this a lot, and someone else's comment helped me sort through it. It doesn't end neatly with all the loose ends tied up--like real life, with choices bringing effects and consequences. I was shocked at first how Alexei just disappeared at the hospital after discovering his powers were gone. I agree with someone who said that his passions must have been diverted away from healing when he set them on Julie instead, and I was not surprised when this happened. In fact, as they were pursuing their romance, I suspected he was making a choice whether he realized it or not, and he said he didn't want to do the healing anymore and wanted to be with her, so maybe he did know. He was human after all, facing and giving in to human nature temptations of lust and desire for romance and relationship. I admit I feel some worry about him, what would have happened to him. But then the end of the movie comes suddenly, with time having passed, Julie growing large with Alexei's baby, and everyone seeming to be at peace with life at that point. That is what was so thought-provoking after the movie ended. Bottom line, we live in the here and now, making the best of bad or less-than-ideal life circumstances, and that is where this family seemed to land. But I still worry about what happened to Alexei!

The stuff matinees are made of. It's not the artsy fartsy stuff it seems to sound like. Luckily, I saw it in the afternoon.There may be something to say for faith healing, but this doesn't say it.

Life is complicated.There is no clear right or wrong.The deeds we hate on other people, may be done by us, when time comes. Humans don't always react in the most obvious ways.At many points in life, we have to make choices, where we gain something and we lose something. It is not usually obvious what choice is the best one.There is an ongoing tussle between heart and brain, the intellectual self and the emotional self, the worldly desire and larger than life desires... These are some of things I recall from my experience with the movie. It was indeed an experience. It was a very sensitive movie having complicated characters and their psychologies. It was one of those movies wherefrom anybody could take back anything that he/she relates to, more strongly. For example, one may think it was a movie about a woman's hypocrisies whereas others might that it was a movie on fighting till the last moment. Some might view it as justifying the supernatural. Its just how you view it.Although BASED ON A REAL LIFE STORY, and I never thought real life stories could be that surprising, its not the story that matters. Don't try to view the film based on the short story description. If you are into meaningful cinema which involves reflections from real life, a thought behind the movie, something that lets you ponder for quite sometime, this is the movie for you. And don't worry it will not be hard on you. Its softly told movie that will surely have an impact on you, positive or negative, who knows!