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Jim Mangold's directorial debut, Heavy, lies at the other
end of the spectrum of American independent cinema to the likes
of Quentin Tarantino. It's not about boys with guns; it's a slow-burning
character study of people whose lives touch for a fleeting moment
before drifting apart. It's set in 'Pete and Dolly's', a roadside
diner in a rural backwater of upstate New York, à la Edward
Hopper. Here, Victor (Pruitt Taylor Vince), an overweight pizza
chef, is in the thrall of his domineering mother (Shelley Winters)
who runs the joint. His only refuge from her and their bullying,
rough-and-ready waitress (ex-Blondie pop diva Debbie Harry) is
a morose trip to the local grocery store. When a beautiful college
drop-out (Liv Tyler) joins as the diner's new waitress his world
is rocked, and Victor eventually waddles from a depressed and
insular existence into the realms of possibility where decisions
are realisable. Patience is a virtue with Heavy. Relying
more on intimate gestures and silent moments than any loud and
clever verbal references to pop culture, it's a sensitive and
ultimately uplifting film, heralding the arrival of a major talent.
Reviewed by Monika Maurer
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