Pretty Good

Memorable, crazy movie

A different way of telling a story

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Beginning with the title, it is not a movie attracting wide audiences or interest from advertisers, but it is definitely among the best indie/Sundance movies - both topic-wise and actor-wise. As for the issues touched, viewers can ponder on and over forgiveness, remorse, revenge, second chance, making choices and some other complex and ambivalent things, all this packed in a decent story with unexpected twists and realistic ending, and carried out by talented actors such as Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, Kirsten Dunst... They never let the viewers down in the sense that they know which roles to pick, wide fame and big paycheck are not top priority for them.Levity is for you if you are not afraid of profundity and painful/serious issues, and if slower run is not equal to boredom.

This movie could be the basis of a great TV series. Few shows address the religious issues the way this movie does.TV series could be based around the community center the young heroine has now inherited and her ongoing struggles to keep it open. Also a great opportunity for many guest roles centered around the characters from the neighborhood. Plots could center around things like:Love interest with black gang leaderNeed to mediate gang violence in the neighborhoodGetting authority figures to allow someone so young to operate community centerDealing with red tape required to operate a charityRepresenting young kids with police, courts, and neighborhood businesses

"Levity" is about redemption; it is about a lot of things inside something ironically simple, about philosophy and the human mind, about thoughts, second chances and about many other things if I want to say them. It's also one of those pictures with a cast of terrific actors who got interested in the project for some reason and did it. It is worth it, if you like slow and detailed stories that are easy to understand f you don't think much; kind of like "The Constant Gardener". But "Levity" is different from 'Gardener' in the way that things are more difficult to understand; the film is truly philosophic. The music, a mix of powerful songs, is a key element in the development of the story, which maintains a mood of depression and sadness.The story was written by Ed Solomon, who also directed. What is interesting and discussable about Solomon is that he seems to have saved his best lines and ideas for his first movie as a director, because he has written nothing like this in the past. His movie credits as a writer include: "Men in Black", "Charlie's Angels" and "Super Mario Bros", among other films that are not better than this one, which isn't great itself.You like the movie because of its honesty; the honesty of its story, of its characters, of its images. The frames and sceneries are so beautiful and so clear that you are not able to take your eyes off the screen; maybe Roger Deakins (director of photography: "The man who wasn't there", "A Beautiful Mind") has something to do with it. Then you've got the terrific cast, which makes the movie even more watchable. I was surprised that Morgan Freeman's voice is recognizable over a phone. Freeman plays a role in the film, which he also produced. At the top of his game and in the platform of a calm man; he speaks his lines as if they weren't Ed Solomon's but his own. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Manuel, the main point of the movie. Thornton, an actor who can go from peaceful ("The man who wasn't there") to totally crazy ("Bad Santa"), finds himself closer to the side of the movie in black and white than to the one in color, if you know what I mean; and he does it perfectly well; I still wonder how he studies a role, how he constructs it.Holly Hunter is the female element. Hunter is the kind of actress who can pass totally unnoticeable in a film, but however leaving you a big impression. I admire that quality in a performer; and Hunter portrays her role so normally, that she comes as the closest to a human being in the picture. Then we have the talented Kirsten Dunst, over the edge as most of the time, and creating another good character with a lot of authority and commitment. As it looks like, "Levity" can't fail; but it's not going to blow your mind off. If that pleases you

I've seen this three times now and it gets better each time I see it. It's a bit strange for me to give *any* film '10' but I do so because the strength of the film is in the viewer's participation in the analysis of the film - that is, it's something that you have to take away and think through.The film displays different characters living out the reality of the way they understand the concept of 'Redemption' and 'Forgiveness'. Without adding spoilers here, let me try and define the characters and their own concepts: To Holly Hunter's character, there's no absolute redemption or forgiveness. To Thornton's character, redemption is something that has to be worked at. To Freeman's character, redemption is almost meaningless because 'what's done's done'. To Holly Hunter's son, redemption is 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'. To the kids that Freeman knows and looks after, there's no forgiveness for a wrong, only retribution.These differing ideas of redemption intermingle throughout the film and reach a climax where pasts catch up with the characters. Although a bitter-sweet, happy/sad ending, the film gives more hope than despair.The film could be criticised for being slow - as judged by other films. But the slowness adds to the complexity of Thornton's character and adds space for the viewer to think about what's going on.There! I hope I haven't given the plot away - or the conclusion. The film is most definitely for the person who wants to be challenged to 'think'.