My sentiments about this film remain much as my earlier comments indicate. However, the director, Mark Kines, was kind enough respect my right to the opinions I offered, while pointing out -- via the IMDb -- that, factually, Melanie Lynskey did NOT have to pay her way to the US from New Zealand. She was treated rather well here, glad to have an opportunity to be near Hollywood to explore possible future roles, make contacts with major studios, etc. She also knew the script in advance of coming. Kines had the smarts to seek her out and ask for her -- and PAY her! He deserves credit for that and more. I am sorry to have misled people. Was it fair to characterize her role as Melody as being "a wallflower"? A few other viewers' comments have been even less kind; still, "wallflower" probably was the wrong word. Melody knows what she's about; she's no push-over. She may be unhappy, yet never desperate or desolate. My problem remains: it's just not very dynamic. I'm not asking for gunfire, or weeping and running about. So-called quiet films often appeal to me for their very quietness. And, as I said before, there's much to enjoy about "Foreign Correspondents." I'm happy to say it again. What Kines attempted with her plot-line was extremely difficult -- and maybe film schools should post signs in big letters: Don't try this! Having Michael J. Fox play a coke-head in "Bright Lights, Big City" comes to mind. Not for a minute was he convincing in that role. (Loved him in "Doc Hollywood.") Kines' error was of a much lesser magnitude. And... my expectations for Lynskey and her part were sky-high, up in the clouds. I would accept no less than another "Heavenly Creatures" turn. And why not add in some startling b&w images from old Orson Welles' films, too -- and those terrific dancing mud-creatures -- what happened to them? All of which made it difficult to see and appreciate "Foreign Correspondents" in its own right; so I apologize.
Review of Foreign Correspondents
