I remember being infuriated by this story in 1999 - to describe this crime as senseless is a massive understatement, so when friends recommended A SOLDIER'S GIRL to me, I was eager to see how it would come across on film.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Overall I was impressed - this is a well-crafted movie, managing a great subtlety, featuring generally well-developed characters, and is - at heart - a great love story. I felt that the film could've been a bit longer - given the emotional toll, I can understand the need (or desire) to maintain a bit of economy, but I felt that certain characters and events should've been presented with a bit more detail, especially during the latter half of the film. The homophobia and generalized violence of the setting should've been presented in greater detail - this underlies my other criticisms, and would've removed the mystery from a few of the other characters. Winchell's fear was hinted at in many of his open-ended blow-ups with Fisher, and his confusion (which - though presented in beautiful fashion, is only really visible once) should've been depicted in greater detail - it would've done greater justice to his memory.
Meanwhile, greater exploration of Fisher's various chemical and psychological problems would've also added tremendously to the story. Aside from his violence and stupidity, Glover was an enigma - here he was just a device to move the plot into the final act, and - with any individual acting in the fashion which he does, there must be more to him than what appears at the surface.
However, Calpernia Addams was quite touchingly portrayed, and the love scenes between her and Winchell were presented in a moving fashion - on this basis (and also the detail seen in the more mundane moments of the two hanging out) that I consider this to be a great love story. Approaching the very end of the film, Lee Pace's performance really begins to transcend any expectations I might've had, and becomes something remarkable - I have a great respect for any film that can bring tears to my eyes (THE ICE STORM, Zhang Yimou's ROAD HOME and CINEMA PARADISO are the only others in recent memory), so I'd have to say I still rate this very highly.
But with such a devastating story, I still felt that Winchell deserved something greater still.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Overall I was impressed - this is a well-crafted movie, managing a great subtlety, featuring generally well-developed characters, and is - at heart - a great love story. I felt that the film could've been a bit longer - given the emotional toll, I can understand the need (or desire) to maintain a bit of economy, but I felt that certain characters and events should've been presented with a bit more detail, especially during the latter half of the film. The homophobia and generalized violence of the setting should've been presented in greater detail - this underlies my other criticisms, and would've removed the mystery from a few of the other characters. Winchell's fear was hinted at in many of his open-ended blow-ups with Fisher, and his confusion (which - though presented in beautiful fashion, is only really visible once) should've been depicted in greater detail - it would've done greater justice to his memory.
Meanwhile, greater exploration of Fisher's various chemical and psychological problems would've also added tremendously to the story. Aside from his violence and stupidity, Glover was an enigma - here he was just a device to move the plot into the final act, and - with any individual acting in the fashion which he does, there must be more to him than what appears at the surface.
However, Calpernia Addams was quite touchingly portrayed, and the love scenes between her and Winchell were presented in a moving fashion - on this basis (and also the detail seen in the more mundane moments of the two hanging out) that I consider this to be a great love story. Approaching the very end of the film, Lee Pace's performance really begins to transcend any expectations I might've had, and becomes something remarkable - I have a great respect for any film that can bring tears to my eyes (THE ICE STORM, Zhang Yimou's ROAD HOME and CINEMA PARADISO are the only others in recent memory), so I'd have to say I still rate this very highly.
But with such a devastating story, I still felt that Winchell deserved something greater still.