There they sit across from you, eating the dinner you both prepared. When there is any conversation it is kept to trivial, light things about the day. After the meal is done and the dishes have been washed and dried the two of you sit on the sofa to watch television. The side of their leg is pressed up against yours; not for any romantic reasons, just because that is where the two of you have always sat together. You can feel their physical presence but that is all; they are there but not there like a ghost of their former self. Not reacting to anything being shown on the TV nor sharing any thoughts or feelings, you feel totally alone. Any type of chitchat you start up is only met with a grunt. I believe most of us have experienced some form of pain or discomfort coming from physical cruelty. A punch or slap where the pain radiates heat prior to dispersing into a dullness is what I am referring to here. However there is another form of cruelty that I find just as painful if not more and it would be the emotional kind. The person who you have had some type of relationship with mentally checks out unexpectedly for no apparent reason. It is an awful place to be in, especially when you have given your heart to that person. In a situation like this I find silence to be the absolute worst choice; I would rather a person be honestly blunt with me instead of avoiding what needs to be said. Silence in this type of situation can be a form of purgatory in my opinion.   MARRIED and set in their ways for many years Nolan and Joy Mack’s, played by Robing Williams (Old Dogs, Good Will Hunting) and Kathy Baker (Edward Scissorhands, 13 Going on 30), lives started to become unglued the night Nolan nearly drove over the stranger Leo, played by Roberto Aguire (Sand Sharks-TV movie). This dramatic film already came with a sense of sadness since this was Robin’s final film performance. I thought his acting was strong as he showed emotional restraint. In fact, the cast which also included Bob Odenkirk (Nebraska, Breaking Bad-TV) as Winston did a wonderful job. If the script had offered more emotional depth, not only would have the actors been able to handle it; but it would have made this a much more powerful drama. As it was I found parts of the movie were lackluster, with a few scenes that did not come across as believable for me. The other issue I had with this film was the uneven pacing of the story. I felt the story with its powerful themes could have been clearly presented without slowing down the action. As I said earlier I was already feeling sad when the movie started and only became sadder as the story unfolded.

2 stars