Charming and brutal

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

This film is ambitious. Suicide-attempt survival is a topic with many dark corners and impenetrable emotions. I laud it for trying. Unfortunately, some parts of the movie had a real paint-by-numbers feel that made it impossible for me to connect to the characters or the story at times. The soundtrack as a stand-alone CD would likely be a fantastic mix for driving or listening, or lots of things. At the same time, the sheer popularity of the tunes makes them distracting and pigeonholes the characters and their feelings into particular contexts. Some of the only cases where this actually worked in favor of the film were when the Pixies and Supergrass showed up. The bright part of the movie, of course, is Cillian Murphy and his performance. In the beginning, he comes across as cocky and self-involved, and only through the much more disturbed Rachel does he realize that his problems aren't as bad as he thought. Their scenes were among the best in the film, but his scenes with Stephen Rea were quite poor. Maybe that's because Rea's characterization of the doctor was a little too real, in that he was too bland to be offensive, but seemed also too detached to be a help. In those scenes, Jonathan Breech comes off as a wise-ass with very little understanding and too much ego, which is perhaps intentional. However, the writing was not strong enough to keep the burden of believability afloat. I kept feeling like the director was in the back, saying, "With more disdain! Wow, you really hate that doctor! Let it show!" Then there's Toby. Cute, sad, and a bit of a blank. Just about anyone could have been cast in the role, which makes it sad that it wasn't an Irishman. Aside from the feeling that at any time the actors might turn to the camera and shout, "Acting!" Jon Lovitz style, it was watchable. Nice cinematography. I wouldn't even call it too sad, though, as the characters didn't come across as people, they came across as actors. Not even the bittersweetness of the orange Popsicle could save that.

This is not what you would call an average Irish film where ordinary people fight poverty, or kids gets dragged into nasty criminal business. The film seems to have gotten some bad reviews and I can only guess that this is because these people did not look hard enough. As the saying goes; 'the truth lies in the eyes of the beholder'. No, this film features something completely and utterly different. The film circulates around trust and what you can and what you can not do for a person depraved of the will to live. It touches the subject of trust very elegantly. Both romance and friendship is a part of the film, they do not take a leading purpose of the story but are always present in the background.I was awestruck by the beauty of this film, it struck the bullseye of my heart. I am guessing that if you have ever known a very depressed soul this movie has a lot to teach you.

If Cillian Murphy had only one movie role to identify himself by, On the Edge should be it. You could almost feel the energy coming off his slender body in waves as he strode through the scenes, wise cracking one minute, driving a BMX off a cliff the next. In this story of Jonathon Breech, a young Irishman's battle with death, depression, and love, my only beef came with Jonathon Jackson's accent. It wasn't terrible, but it was enough to make me cringe a few times when I'd rather have concentrated on Cillian's ice blue eyes, Cillian's deep Irish brogue, Cillian's large, working man's hands... Well-known for playing mentally off-kilter roles, Cillian Murphy is one of those blue-eyed actors (Paul Newman, Robert Redford) who can emote with stillness. There were times when the soundtrack in this film seemed to dominate, catchy teeny-bopper gingles gangling in the background, and then the camera light would catch a certain nuance in his face. It was like seeing a window opened. If you're a romantic, this one is worth renting.

I'll forgo an in-depth plot synopsis by saying this...The film revolves around three young Mental Institute in-patients (Jonathan, Rachel and Toby), with a predisposition to suicide. They are tended to by Dr. Figure, played by Stephen Rea, who's job it is to help them come to deal with their "inner demons" and (hopefully) learn not to top themselves...Ok? The story starts with the main protagonist, Jonathan Breech, attempting suicide (by driving a stolen car off a cliff)after attending his alcholic fathers funeral. Given the choice of jail and 3 months in the mental institute he takes what he considers to be the easy option. Jonathan's character is developed very well in the first 15 minutes. We find out that he is somewhat nihilistic has a healthy disrespect for societal norms without being to "Generation X". However, as mentioned in other reviews, I'm not sure that many of the audience would have any empathy, or indeed sympathy for him. Having said this...i did. This sets up one of the main drives of the movie, which pits Jonathan (albeit very midly) against Dr. Figure and the regime of the institute. Almost reminiscent of Good Will hunting, Stephen Rea's portrayal of his role is very "Robin Williams" (This is mentioned in a very post-modernist moment by Jonothan! NB There will be no more pretensious observations by me!). The interaction works for me, very enjoyable. It allows for some really sharp one-liners, delivered perfectly by Cillian Murphy. However it doesn't let us really know any more about Jonathans character a great deal. Dr. Figure's group therapy sessions introduce us to the rest of the triumvirate. An old ploy, but why try and re-invent the wheel? What follows next is an amalgamation of a love-story and a rights-of-passage movie. A mix of genre's that has worked pretty well in the past, in my opinion. This film is dialogue driven. Not a problem for me because the dialogue is well written and delivered. Various set pieces move the plot along slightly...escapes to the local pub, visits by relatives and weekly trips to the bowling alley. They also allow the minor characters room to develop, and it's nice to see not all of the one liners are saved for the main characters (like some offerings I've seen lately). Succinct, not a lot of chaff to seperate from the wheat here. Interspersed with these scenes the main protagonist gets time to interact with Rachel and Toby. This is where another main drive of the film is explored, the love-story. Both these characters really get to develop quite well. There is no painting with broad brush strokes. I mean, they could have easily fallen into sterotype and it's a credit to writer/director John Carney that they didn't. One small nigggle I have at this point is that Toby and Rachel didn't have enough time to develop their relationship on screen. Most of the platonic relationship is referred to as back story. This leaves one of the final plot points with a less than firm basis. (Very Minor Spoiler) The final act could be considered by some to be weakest link here. By some, I mean those who like Richard Curtis (of Four Weddings fame) endings. However, I say not so. Like most good yarns the finale has to be a beginning too. These characters where never going to drop all their problems and live in a little cottage by the sea with 2.4 children. They are given a chance of sorts...Any more than that i'm not going to say...watch the film Some other points I'd like to raise... The acting...Cillian Murphy was really at home in his role. His cocky, self-assured demeanour allowed him to raise many a smile with his witty one-liners, as only the Southern Irish can (in my opinion). I'd like to see his career burgeon.Jonathan Jackson held a passable (Northern)Irish accent for an American. However he really did come accross well on-screen as a tarnished young man. The least developed (though not under-developed) character of the trio, he did well with what he had.Tricia Vesey smoulders along. She portrays the curt Rachel with just enough chinks in her emotional armour to make her likable. You could (like any of the 3 main roles, I suppose) find her objectionable. Not the case. You don't want to get hold of her and shake her and tell her to get it together.Stephen Rea...Well what can you say. I have always enjoyed watching him and I probably always will. Enough! Magnificent soundtrack. One of the best I've heard in a long time, I think I'd have a similar record collection with the director (who I would assume made the music choices for this). Not too sure about David Gray over the final scene/titles though! All in all... a gem