Highly Overrated But Still Good

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

An aspiring politician (Billy Crudup) falls in love with an activist (Jennifer Connelly) in "Waking the Dead" from 2001, directed by Keith Gordon and adapted from the eponymous novel by Robert Dillon.When Fielding Pierce meets his brother's assistant Sarah in 1972, the two fall in love with one another. It's a deep, emotional love. But they have different ideologies. Fielding has political ambitions; Sarah is idealist who spends her time helping others. She is killed in an explosion while helping members of the Chilean resistance.Nine years later, a Fielding is running for the Senate, he starts seeing Sarah everywhere and can't get her out of his mind. It affects his campaign work, to the consternation of those trying to get him elected.This is a movie that's almost painful to watch, because Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly pour such passion and emotion into their love affair, that you feel his pain when she's gone. They're both excellent -- and very young here.There are some old-timers in the cast as well - Hal Holbrook and Bernard Behrens, to name two, but also the excellent stage actors Janet McTeer and Larry Marshall. Ed Harris has a small role as someone on television. "House of Cards" actress Molly Parker plays Crudup's current girlfriend, though he doesn't really love her. I think the love story was the most compelling element of this film - though these two people want to do good in the world, they approach it in different ways, and that separates them.One of the last scenes is deliberately ambiguous when it really shouldn't be -- if you look at the message board you will see a description of a deleted scene and what is in the book.It's a lovely story.One other thing - a lot of people did not like Sarah. I find that so interesting - every time I watch a film featuring a female activist, everybody hates her. I watched "The Constant Gardener" and had to listen to everyone hating on Rachel Weisz. Ditto "The Whistleblower." Go figure. Too left-wing? Too goody two-shoes? I don't know. But people sure have a strong reaction.

CAUTION: SPOILERSThis movie had me in tears just about every 2 minutes at least. While a young man maps out his ambitions for the future, he meets a woman who sees the world with eyes that are similar to his, but a bit more outspoken. They fall in love, and would be the perfect couple if not for their conflicting political views and family traditions. While Fielding (a beautiful Kleenex-box devouring performance by Billy Crudup) works for the Coast Guard and then thru law school, Sarah (an equally wonderful Jennifer Connelly) is an independent Peace-Corps worker of sorts, working for the Catholic church in different and dangerous situations that take her far from home into hotbeds of political strife. Fielding's life is shattered when Sarah and 2 Chilean diplomats are killed in a car bomb in 1973. For the next decade, he tries to move on without her, and presses on until he becomes a candidate for public office. Suddenly, he begins to...hallucinate? Dream? Have visions? of the woman he loved. He begins to believe he is losing his mind, and it affects his campaign. The one thing that confuses me and kind of pees me off is when Sarah suddenly seems to reappear for real, first via phone call and second, with a surprise visit. She apologizes for hurting him, and if what she's saying is true, she really did nearly kill him by faking her death. Did she fake her death because of the Chilean Resistance? Or did she want out of the relationship because though they love each other, their beliefs and politics don't match. Fielding wakes up the morning after this cryptic 'visit' and wonders if even this was a reverie. But somehow, the fact that he never has visions or hallucinations of weird phone calls ever again, says to me, Sarah had been alive all these years and had faked her death for one reason or another. I really should watch this again to get a better clarity on exactly what her motives were, but I cried so much that I don't think I can go through this again. The one consolation is that Fielding won the election and began to help make a difference in people's lives. Sarah influenced him in a major way, but I was so sad to see that they couldn't have a life together working side by side.

It starts as a simple romantic movie between Fielding Pierce ( Billy Crudup ) and Sarah Williams ( Jennifer Connelly ) then moves on smoothly into the complexities of politics ( domestic and international ).. the strength of honesty against power of incumbency.. the pain of loss of a dear one is reflected in a very authentic way..the direction is mature .. Jennifer Connelly is as beautiful as ever.. she expresses the conviction of Sarah in a very natural way.. Above all it is Billy Crudup..I am surprised that he got no recognition for the movie, though I found his acting in this movie one of the best I have seen by any actor.. he has done justice to the various roles he had to play in the movie--- the lover boy, the man in love, the family man, a good son, a good brother ( both to his brother and to his sister ), the confident Naval Office to the aspiring politician, from a near-nervous wreck to making an awe- inspiring short speech, a winner one moment and the man who bares his heart completely to his family members in the next moment... The forwards and rewinds in the time-line is bit too frequent, but all the same it is an excellent movie..

What more can I say? This quiet, intimate, fast-paced film explores the lives of two people who are made for each other yet whose lives keep them apart. Both characters are forced to grow as they face stereotypes and their own false expectations. And then, when the bombshell hits, get ready to reach for the Kleenex! Unlike many other films that deal with relationships, this one continues the exploration of the questions posed, even after it would seem physically possible. Both characters continue to grow to the very last frame of the film. Jennifer Connelly and Billy Crudup are both excellent in their roles. Connelly has less screen time but plays her "Jiminy Cricket" role perfectly. Crudup is note-perfect in his slide towards psychosis.This is the ultimate "what if?" film, realistically portraying the agony of loss and unanswered questions. Definitely *not* one to watch when you're in the mood for a fluffy Hugh Grant flick! But for intelligent, thought-provoking movie-making, this is the one to see.