Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

A Major Disappointment

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

I had not heard of this movie but came across it at my public library. It seemed like an interesting, enchanting story, my wife and I watched it last night along with a teenage neighbor. While we enjoyed it, most of the time we were puzzled by what was shown and what was said. We weren't sure what the point was, but in the end it probably can be summed up, 'If you are afraid of dying, then you probably also are afraid of living.'Ryan Flynn (Ryan Kelley) has just lost his grandma, had already lost his dad in a train accident, and now his grandfather was incoherent. Traumatized, young Ryan no longer spoke, although he could have. In an unusual sequence he meets a pretty and happy girl Melanie (Hayden Panattiere) in his somewhat familiar surroundings, but things just aren't the way they seem to be. What follows is Ryan's examination of his fears of dying.SPOILERS. The incident that begins the journey into the 'dust factory', a place where you can either jump off the trapeze and get caught, then fly away (die and go to heaven), or fall into the dust pit and return to normal life, is when Ryan falls off a train bridge into the water. When he surfaces and goes home, grandpa is now lucid, and Melanie is there too. But this is not his real world, it is more a purgatory. Grandpa is really incoherent, Melanie we learn later is in a coma, and Ryan is about to drown. When grandpa dies, Ryan and Melanie recover to the real world, where they don't quite remember what happened at the 'dust factory', but seem to know something good has happened.

The trailers for this movie didn't really appeal to me, but as it was a Hayden movie, I ended up buying it anyway, and I don't regret it. It was a beautiful movie, with such a touching storyline, and I found myself crying at the end, because it was so sweet. I think it deals very well with the subject of loss and bereavement.Ryan Kelley and Hayden Panettiere's performances were amazing, especially Hayden's, as I love the character of Melanie, she's so sweet, and has the ability to make you laugh and cry.Yes, the storyline was a little predictable, but it didn't stop it being set out well, and performed well.

I'm sixteen and I just watched this movie. I didn't really understand the plot. It felt too slow and just had no point. In some ways, it was boring because everything was too perfect. I didn't really understand the whole thing with the circus and the black hole. The only thing I understood was that the grandpa lost his Alzheimer's when he was in the place between heaven and earth and he became friends with the girl. This movie made absolutely no sense. Someone reviewed that this movie was original, but I've seen ten million other movies like this. They go to a new world which is perfect, but they have to go back. There's also the "loss of a loved one" element in this movie. I'm hoping that one of these days the people writing scripts will create an understandable and original movie.

I actually watched this movie by accident, but I loved it! Its about a boy who, after an accident, goes to a world where all people who are between life and death stay, until they are ready to take a chance and try to go back to the real world. In this world he meets his grandfather, who is sick with Alzheimer's, and a girl named Melanie, who arrived at this world in the winter, so even though its summer, for her its always winter. Melanie shows Ryan (the boy) the dust factory. SHe shows him that the only way back to the real world is to jump of a big height. If you make it to the other side, you die. If you fall, you go back healthy. After a touching story in that world, Ryan's grandfather decides to take the leap, and makes it. The Ryan takes the leap, and doesn't make it. When Ryan arrives at the real world, his neighbors come along with a girl called Melanie, who had a tumor (or something g in her brain) Of course Ryan doesn't remember her, but they fall in love all over again!:)