Looking Through Lillian (2001) User Reviews

Bottoms'

[=G= · 6/10 · 12 September 2003]

"Looking Through Lillian" tells of a young single woman who is mistress to a middle aged man into kinky sex. A narrow slice-of-life indie and a commendable first outing for the Torem/Henham team, though it suffers from the usual newbie claustrophobia, low budget leanness, mediocre jukebox score, etc., "Looking..." starts off with promise which is unfulfilled in the playout. Henham (Lillian) makes a solid centerpiece showing some range and nailing her nuances as her character grapples with the issue of keeping the easy money which is fueling her low self esteem or ditching them for the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, the film fizzles with a much-ado-about-nothing sort of denouement which will likely leave the viewer feeling like they just ate Chinese. An okay chick flick for females into serious drama with shades of kinkiness. (C+)

Plain horrible

[jzus · 1/10 · 24 April 2003]

Why... that's my only question, why this horrible soundtrack of a garage band with no talent , this cast ( i'm sure in some scenes reading off cards ).... why all the clichees ever seen are all in this flick ALL of them, can you one second fall for any of these caracters or actually believe in this cheezy romance. Plain horrible .. stay very very far from this movie please I beg you. There's so much excellent indie film out there. why

Most gawd awful piece of S#@! I've ever seen

[remoandchiun · 1/10 · 16 September 2002]

With the exception of Sam Bottoms and Essence Atkins the acting was horrible (who is the Jade Person and this Robert Glen Keith? Were they simply reading off of cards?) and the writing was sophomoric, the photography was actually good in places, but not good enough to save this flop.

Finally a chick flick with the guts to tell it like it is!

[cnmantx · 10/10 · 16 July 2001]

Forget about the fairy tales, this is the way it really is. Pretty girls who get the prince find themselves trapped in twisted castles. Lillian is a kept woman and has it all - stunning looks, great body, expensive clothes, she even drives a Porsche. But wait til you find out what she has to do to keep it! Jade Henham could have just stood there and let the camera photograph her, but no. Henham can actually act. She gives us another side of Lillian - the scared, vulnerable little girl who's falling apart at the seams. Sam Bottoms is worthwhile in a skirt. His full frontal nudity scene is worth my $9. The movie is slow in spots and the rest of the cast is weak, though Luke is not bad on the eyes. But the end is worth the wait. Who is this Jake Torem and what else has he done? Man does this guy have the guts to give it to you raw!

Elegant and Very Sophisticated

[nynightclubbing · 9/10 · 19 March 2006]

Kevin Thomas of the LA Times reviewed this film as "An Elegant and Sophisticated portrayal of a Young Mistress Awakening." I recently came across this film on netflix and when i got around to seeing it, I found that Thomas couldn't have said it better. The film is awfully mature for a young group of filmmakers and the very best thing about it is that it's so unique. The storytellers have created a 2very different world one that I would imagine many people will have a tough time understanding. The themes however are right there for you to see - dysfunction, addiction, secrets, real intimacy, trust, loneliness,and best of all the quest for psychological freedom and self respect. I can't really think of another film quite like it. It's extremely rich and it never turns out the way you'd expect it too. I noticed that the film was only released on the big screen in LA, I'd be curious to see it play before a NY audience. This is a film that I would suspect will influence many films as cinema edges away from mainstream sex toward deviant sexual behavior. Very wise, perhaps too wise for a first film. Don't expect to be aroused by steamy sex scenes, this one get's into the mindset of a broken flower and how she blooms again, just when you least expect her too. Bravo Lillian!

Tearing down the walls of the most taboo subjects imaginable.

[chumpler · 9/10 · 14 July 2002]

A surreal peek into the life of a jaded woman striving for acceptance in a less than perfect world. Her attempts at finding her place in society are made more difficult by her dependancy on a cross dressing drug addicted businessman to pay her bills.

The scene in which this twisted, co-dependant relationship finally reaches the point of no return is both a shocking but totally organic surprise! See this film - for it's flaws, its courage and the uncompromising grittiness that makes it a true independant!!!

A Beautiful Film

[FlHooksIII · 10/10 · 1 August 2002]

I was really surprised to see IMDb list this film as a Drama/Thriller. For those of you yet to see this film, it is in no way a thriller. That being said, it is a drama, more precisely - a character study driven drama - and a beautiful one at that. The movie has us follow Lilly - a twenty-something girl trying to navigate her way through her dysfunctional life and her somewhat complex and conflicting feelings about herself, those around her, and the world at large. Henham, who portrays Lillian, imbues her with such a realistic feel that one begins to feel as those they are spying on someone's life, without permission. The realism that the actress gives to each moment helps to make this an engrossing film because we find ourselves investing in Lilly and almost holding her hand to take the journey with her.

That journey is navigated very clearly by the director. You can almost see the repression he has stamped on his lead character and the box that he has created for her to try and get out of. And therein lies her stumbling block and the hurdle that one takes with her as an audience member. Those hurdles are very specific and not the exact same ones as most people face, but at the very time, the beauty is that on a larger scale they are universal. Sexual dysfunction, identity crises, love and the sting that can follow each time we open our hearts, connecting or not being able to connect to the world, loneliness, hope, heartache and the sometimes insurmountable task of undoing what's already been done.

There's no guarantee with any movie that everyone that sees it will like it, but there is one guarantee with this film: you will come out feeling very strongly about it, whether one way or another. For those of you who liked High Art, Everything Put Together or Monster's Ball, this is definitely a movie you should check out.

P.T.A. look out...

[BeckH73 · 9/10 · 8 September 2002]

A lot of people look toward the 20 something generation and still aren't sure what to make of us. This movie shows you that anyone can be screwed up and that we all have our share of dark little secrets. The story gives a perverse look into the lives of three people that are very much like anyone you know.

First there's Lillian, and it's cool cause through out the movie that's just what we're all doing - looking at her from all directions (Looking Through Lillian). The actress reminded me a little of Jane March - exotic and aloof - and by the end of the film, even though you still don't quite know who she is, she tears your heart out.

Then there's Luke, who's portrayed as this sort of smug, sarcastic writer. I could really relate to some of the things he said and there's this great scene where he throws Lillian for a genuine loop and I was like "I should try that some time" (you'll know what I mean when you see the movie).

Last but not least, there's Gene (who I'm happy to say is not part of my twenty something generation), who has this twisted creepy little secret. At first, you're like "No Way", but I honestly have to say he pulls it off pretty scarily.

It's a trip to watch where this movie lands and since Trainspotting came out, I've been waiting for someone in America to pull off something new and do it with some style. Jake Torem is a filmmaker who does just that.

P.T.A. look out...

You can't fit it in a box

[AmyInAir · 10/10 · 25 October 2002]

This was a really amazing film for me. But... I have no idea how to characterize this one because the film was more a feeling or being able to step into a portrait, so while I keep trying to think of what I'd compare it to - I cannot compare it to anything but itself.

I can say that it's beautiful and harrowing (emotionally). It's so straight forward that it's amazing how twisted it truly it is. It's a wedge of somebody's life that you can't help but feel for. It is it's own curious little masterpiece. Bravo to the people who made and inhabited this world.

10/10

Gene and Lillian - More Please

[KaterinaNV · 9/10 · 3 December 2002]

I was fascinated with this film. And I was glad to see Essence Atkins in a drama and a feature no less. Although she seemed a little uncomfortable in the genre, I believe it's a good beginning. I was even more pleased with discovering something new, the actress that plays Lillian played by Jade Henham. There was such a naturalness to her being and performance that she completely ensconced me from beginning to end. I also enjoyed the relationship between Andrea (Atkins) and Lilly (Henham) - their portrayal of best friends that share everything was so authentic and not "Hollywoodish" at all.

The most fascinating part of the whole film though is the relationship between Gene (Sam Bottoms) and Lilly. If for nothing else, the film is worth just that in itself. The dynamics of the relationship and the psychological 'scoreboard' between the two was totally encompassing. If I have any gripe with the movie, it's that I would have liked to have seen more of what went on in that bedroom and just more of Gene and Lilly, period. Their bond, or whatever it is, is just so complicated and unorthodox that I wanted to wash the boyfriend out of the film so that I could concentrate on picking apart and studying the two of them. My only thought is that the mind is always better when left to the imagination and perhaps that what's the filmmaker was thinking by limiting how much he allowed us to see. Perhaps I wouldn't have been as intrigued if I'd seen "everything." But any way you look at it, I still came home wanting more of Gene and Lilly. Then again, if you come home wanting more of something then you obviously just saw something that was pretty damn good. And I'd have to say that "Looking Through Lillian" was that - pretty damn good. It is a bunch of unknowns and first time out of the gate talent, so after seeing what they accomplished on the first try, I will be keenly watching to see where they all go when they've blossomed and become seasoned.

Luscious

[DreamInsomniac · 9/10 · 8 September 2002]

I saw Leaving Las Vegas and though 'Elizabeth Shue is my dream girl'. Last night I saw Looking Through Lillian and it changed everything. My definitive dream girl is now Jade Henham. She's sexy, jaded and pure all at the same time. Why any guy would leave this chick or not realize what they had on their hands is something I cannot fathom. I can't put my finger on what it was about her specifically -- she's not like your all american blonde or something like that, but there's just this hypnotic kind of power that comes off of her and it caught me totally off guard.

I suppose it would be a good idea to comment on the movie itself, but then again, for me, she was the movie. She practically carries it on her back. I have to give credit to the director and the producers though for having found her and putting her in the role. She doesn't seem to have any resume on the site, so I'm assuming they took a chance. Congratulations to them - it was an excellent call.

And to Miss Henham: I hope you do something else soon. You're guaranteed one viewer right here.

An indie that puts the 'I' back in independent film

[ChaoticCate · 10/10 · 16 July 2002]

"Looking Through Lillian" is an independent in every sense of the word. Independent in thought, independent in sentiment and independent in spirit. In a world where we're now stuck with homogenized studio film product with the same formulaic M.O. over and over again, it is becoming increasingly rare to find a film where the viewer is treated like they actually have a brain. But that's where "Looking Through Lillian" comes into play - it not only allows you to have a brain, it welcomes and invites such a thought. It encourages the audience to have their own personal feelings, questions and viewpoints. And although that, in itself, would be enough of a reason for me to recommend the film, it is certainly not the only reason.

I commend the lead actress - she seemed to move through the picture without the slightest trace of effort, in such a naturalistic way that one even wonders if she exists as a person outside of this picture. Also the director and the producers for making an uncompromising film in a time in which Sundance has become synonymous with Studio Picture. Not once did they appear to give in or shy away from the controversy of what they were portraying.

All this being said, I'm not one to log on and write feedback on sites, but I did so because of the film's most unique selling point. You sit there, you watch, you feel, you go around every twist and turn with this character and then you walk out of the theatre. And two days later, you find yourself asking the questions "How do I feel about this film? How do I feel about myself? How do I feel about my life? How do I feel about sex?" In a world where we pay 8 bucks to see a picture that doesn't even hold us for the two hours it runs, the coup of Lillian is that it pays for itself over and over - it doesn't just hold you for the two hours - it holds you for days. And that's the highest recommendation I can think of.

A Journey into the Hidden, A Lesson in Empathy

[WiseAsAnOwl · 9/10 · 30 April 2003]

I thought a vote would be enough but after reading a quite nasty comment, I felt no choice but to strongly disagree and voice my own opinion.

Only once in a blue moon do I see a film that does not have a 'cliche' somewhere embedded within it. And considering cliches are an everyday part of life, it doesn't take metaphysics to figure out that they exist because of universal truths that cross widely through human action = thus the creation of a cliche. Taking the above into account, I did find some cliches in this film but I also found an incredible amount of heart, not within all the characters but definitely within the protagonist's. The REAL love story in this film, interestingly enough, is between the protagonist and the antagonist, not between Lilly and her newfound 'boyfriend.'

Make no mistake, this movie is definitely an indie and does struggle with the confines that the genre now comes with these days. But the main plot of this young girl dealing with an obtuse older man obsessed with his own fetishes and holding on to her solely for his own use and comfort, coupled with the climax of the movie and each of their revelations, is certainly not cliche. No, it is not even standard fare. What it is, definitely, is something unique, complex, fascinating in retrospect and shocking in it's emotional intensity. The acting of the two leads = Sam Bottoms and Jade Henham, only heightens the feeling of the film. I think that some people are mistaking acting for grand gestures and a chain of over the top dramatic moments. While there are many movies where that style is not only employed, but works beautifully; this film requires a different style because ultimately we are looking into a woman's head and psyche (a paralyzed one at that) and a man whose life is completely compartmentalized and repressed.

My advice: This is most certainly a film worth watching with one catch -> you have to be willing to let yourself go into the filmmaker's world and slow down long enough to remember what empathy for another human being feels like and is really all about.

9/10.

VERY REAL, VERY DISTURBING.

[CelluloidWeaver · 8/10 · 6 August 2002]

This film is intense. It has a totally cool European sense of style and flair. The music kicks ass and there's a PAYOFF, the likes of which I've never seen before -- Give you a clue: There's this one scene in the movie that is so completely bizarre and f*cked up that at first, and I wasn't the only one, you find yourself chuckling out of sheer nervousness and then it just keeps on going, relentlessly - and you're like "Whoa!" The filmmaker puts Lillian - who is one fine looking, classy, grunge kind of f*cked up chick - in the "driver's" seat throughout. And she's good at it. Some of the material is really uncomfortable to watch. And Sam Bottoms, who I usually don't like - not only goes out on a limb - but " Boldly " goes as far as I've ever seen an actor go physically. I have just one conclusion: This material is so utterly personal and emotional that it's either REAL - and I mean based somewhere in reality - or these guys are GOOD.

Either way, they sure are original. And they got my vote - WAY UP!

Genuine comments, not unfounded criticism

[babydeniro · 8/10 · 16 August 2005]

The hardest part about watching an Independent Film, for me, is that they usually try too hard to be a big budget Hollywood picture. So hard that they blow their opportunity to do what most big budget films don't --- which is to tell a real story. A story with emotion, with heart and with real human decisions we all have to make. "Looking Through Lillian" is NOT one of those films who tries to hard. It's a wonderful look inside a troubled girl, who's life situation may not be typical, but her struggles within herself and to find herself are exactly what we all go through. All the key elements which make a truly great film are in "Looking": Story, Acting, Directing and Photography. The film knows what it is and isn't afraid to be just that.

I read some of the other comments on this page and they vary, like all opinions do. But there is one comment on this page that seems to be coming from somewhere else. The commenter trashes the film so much that it's obvious they are either a disgruntled Production Assistant or maybe the bizarre sexual perversions in the film hit a bit too close to home. Either way, anyone that would trash an independent film this much has no idea what kind of effort, dedication and shear heart and soul it takes to pull it off. Comments like these go way beyond honest critiquing and venture into the kind of stuff that should be reserved for a licensed therapist.

a strange find

[KaoticKelly · 10/10 · 11 April 2003]

This film was a strange but refreshing find hidden amongst much more familiar titles on the video store shelf. If it had not been for my complete lack of interest in the other DVD I picked (Baise Moi), I probably would never have gotten around to this one. That being said, obviously I did and it is well worth commenting on. The film hinges on the story of a young woman, Lilly/Lillian played by Jade Henham who is lifestyle consists of being kept by Gene, a wealthy man played by Sam Bottoms. During the course of the story, she finds herself placed in a situation that for most of us is a completely normal part of life, but in her case is something of a dilemma that threatens to unravel the fragile balance that she has created living in the situation that is her everyday life. That dilemma comes in the form of a dual combination - the wish to learn and a boyfriend named Luke (Robert Glen Keith) and the opposing opinions of her confidante Andrea (Essence Atkins).

I found it interesting when reading the credits that none of the characters has last names which led me to the thought of what would Lillian's last name be if listed. My first response, especially if the film had taken place outside of the state of California, would be Rampling. While Henham is not a dead ringer for Charlotte Rampling, she is somehow very reminiscent of Rampling in the fact that she appears not to need to do anything visible to the human eye to justify her appearance on the screen. It is this very quality of the character or of the actress that makes this film as quietly compelling as it is. The story itself is just as enigmatic and difficult to put in a box and at times highly uncomfortable. Yet the movie would not work without the degree of discomfort that it puts the viewer in. For at the very core of it, what one is really really watching is a life built on falsitude and when Lilly's heart opens, it is her horror at having to look at the lie she is living and her desperation to somehow backtrack and rectify all the wrongs that lead to an emotional commitment in this film. This is when I found myself to be truly, truly touched by her.

Much more of a character study than anything else (think the opposite end of the scale from Buffalo 66), the beauty of the story and the woman lies in the quiet nuances that are placed throughout and her complex and very entangled relationship with Gene, who turns out to be a truly fascinating character played wonderfully by Sam Bottoms of all people. Where the film is flawed leans more in the direction of the boyfriend plot. Glen Keith was not convincing enough for me and I wondered if she would really go for such a guy as the one he brought to the screen. Her tie with Atkins is a somewhat better constructed relationship, but all in all, the film's magnificence lies solely in Lilly and Gene. If I had been the creators, this is where I would have focused all my energy on. For when the two of them are together or when we are spying on her in the aftermath of each encounter, this is when this movie flies. Reality becomes real enough to transcend film into quasi-documentary, whether this was random or intentioned is impossible to tell, but it is refreshingly 'new' to watch.

An unlikely find in today's array of choices and a very satisfying emotional ride, Looking Through Lillian lives and breathes outside of the box.

A Unique Woman's Film From The Heart

[DysfunctionalDiva · 10/10 · 9 September 2002]

This film had a startling effect on me. Jade Henham, in an alluring performance, sheds new light on a raw look into a discomforting reality that exists all around us. There are some scenes in the movie, without spoiling, that are very difficult to watch. The blade of this movie is wielded in a unique way. The director juxtaposes both the light and the dark sides of humanity. I am so impressed that Miss Henham and company were brave enough to make such a truly uncompromising film with a solid three act structure that recalls the skill and wisdom of Hal Ashby and the earliest work of Mike Nichols.

I love this film because it is such an emotionally passionate character study that is finally told from a woman's point of view. This film enthralled the audience on the evening that I saw it and it has haunted me personally ever since.

Unique and Flawed Beyond Perfection

[TankThinker · 10/10 · 17 November 2002]

This film was a real find. A totally indefinable movie, which isn't that much help to other users of IMDb as it's a little vague, but the film is just too much of it's own thing for me to find a comparison that wouldn't be misleading. I love, love, love independent films so it didn't come as a complete shock that I loved this one, but what was surprising for me was the amount of sheer heart I found in the commitment of the lead actors in the film. With such commitment, I'm also taking the liberty of assuming that the director also had the same level of heart and passion in doing this film. Something that I think all directors should give to their work regardless. But either way, it shines through in the film and any flaws or shortcomings that one spots in the film are somehow balanced out or nullified by that all out effort. I gave this movie a 10 out of 10 for the sheer heart of it and also the subject matter - I'm pretty much a softie when it comes to burying a film - it really has to rub me the wrong way for me to go there. But softie or no softie, it's an intelligent, emotionally intuitive piece of work that raises some real issues and is defintely food for thought.

The one thing that I would've liked though was to have seen this film made on the east coast as I believe it would have given the material and the actors that special extra boost that comes out of working in a more artistic and less studio monopolized setting. With that being said, it still really works and I have a strong feeling that in a couple of years, maybe even 5, this movie will, in it's own way, turn out to be a seminal movie for some of the subject matter. History and time has a way of weeding things out. I thoroughly loved the character of Lillian - she's a slow burn that all of a sudden catches your heart and has you rooting for her. Most of all, I loved the relationship and the dynamics between her and Gene (Sam Bottoms), a messy, sticky, completely business-like relationship that at the same time is completely personal. A complete conumdrum for the young lady to deal with and yet I could see myself having the same dilemma if somehow having fallen into that situation.

A high rating that I didn't have to take a millisecond to decide upon. Completely engrossing. A real recommend for catching at the theater, or on a rental. However, being a girl, and not wishing to having someone curse me out for not agreeing, I recommend it as a woman. How men will take it, one scene in particular comes to mind, is a completely different story that I can't vouch for. However, I feel confident enough to say that if you like art house and you're up for a challenge, then I think this is a film that rocks whether you're a woman or a man. 10 out of 10.

Visually soothing, erotically moving, intensely beautiful.

[Flash9000 · 9/10 · 9 August 2002]

LOOKING THROUGH LILLIAN pulls us into a woman's life, and for the first time on film, we see the woman. The impressionistic lighting by the filmmaker pulls us deep into Lillian's tears, and we see and feel her emotions. The colors of each scene, like Lillian's heart, are intensely beautiful. The skill and talent of the young director is obvious and everywhere in this film.

Sam Bottoms, like you have never seen him, is powerful, weird, and disturbing. Bottom's performance of Gene, a businessman, is frighteningly real. Gene is emotionally scary, with creepy sexual fetishes that makes one ask, "What is life?"

The exotic and sensual performance of the lead actress, Jade Henham, at times, overwhelms her young supporting beau. But the director Jake Torem balances Henham's performance with amazing, artful lighting technique unseen in any movie.

LOOKING THROUGH LILLIAN is a visual poem. Torem has used a new way of making film, painting. This is a renaissance film in that Torem sets a new standard for applied art that is unmatched in beauty.

I am looking forward to Torem's next 35mm tapestry.

Cheers and good luck!

My comments? Glowing...

[Audralia · 9/10 · 11 August 2001]

God, this is one of those movies that I would love to give a long review but only one thing keeps going through my head and it's the most concise thing that I can say to compliment this movie to the degree that it truly deserves. This is a 70's movie for the new millenium. For once a movie that manages not to compromise, to make you feel fully, and to have to look at more than the homogenized world we live in. Midnight Cowboy, The Graduate, Straw Dogs, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, The Hospital - back then was the real golden age of Hollywood when movies weren't made formulaically just to try and boob tube an audience on a big screen, but rather envoke them to think and feel as they choose. This film does so on all the subjects that count - personal freedom, sexuality and one's identity, the very question of love and how much you're willing to give for it.

I take my hat off to the director and the writers. They did not compromise and as a result, I finally found myself participating in what I was watching for the first time in a very long time. The lead actress was sublime - I'd compare her to someone but I think she just might be one of a kind. The supporting cast was more Hollywoodish - but the real star of this film was the director. It's a pleasure to finally see someone who understands subtlety and the complexity of human emotion and what drama and life are really about. I tracked him on your database and I see that this is his first feature. If this is his first attempt at feature filmmaking, then I look forward eagerly to watching where he finally lands as a seasoned director. Maybe there are new Pakula's, Friedkins, Ashby's and Frankenheimer's out there - wouldn't it be nice?

Fascinatingly non-definitive and authentic

[Marzorati2002 · 10/10 · 11 December 2002]

I had to give this movie a 10 which usually I would reserve for the perfect film - which this is not, but the heart behind the performance given by the lead actress, Jade Henham who portrays Lillian, suckered me in to feeling that it deserved it just on that. It was a really weird experience watching her as she acts as though she's in a documentary and not a feature. Everything seemed to come so easily and natural and heartfelt that I felt like I was invading someone's privacy, at least for the first half. By that point, I was so in to what she was going through that I forgot about my embarrassment about spying on her and reminded myself that I was, after all, just watching a film, and allowed myself to follow her with abandonment. The one confusing this about this film was trying to place it in a particular genre - for all the comments I could give, I would not be able to tackle that one. Nor can I say that the movie is not flawed. It is. I didn't really believe very much in the work of her romantic interest, Luke, played by Robert Glenn Keith and I found her best friend to be slightly two dimensional. But even though those two characters take up a certain amount of screen time, one never forgets that the real story and impetus for the film's existence is the story of Lillian and her Sugar Daddy, Gene, played by Sam Bottoms. Although I found Henham to be stronger in her authenticity then Bottoms, I still have to say that he was outstanding opposite her and if there's anything that really fascinated me, it was just the character itself that he was playing. I found it to be especially interesting to see him as he is without the film ever bothering to get in to all that hoopla about why he is the way he is. This is one of those films where the people in it are just the way they are and the film makes no apologies for who they are nor feels any compulsion to have to rationalize or explain why. Much like real life. Things are as they are, what happens is what counts.

Not a film for those who are looking for the 'sit back and be entertained by the studio formula' but a really worthwhile film to be an active participant in and let the brain percolate and the heart follow. And once again, there's the strange anomaly of Jade Henham, who comes across as a one of a kind. Whether she'll stay that way is something yet to be seen.

Sublime

[JillianMnn · 10/10 · 18 September 2002]

I saw this film through the Women's Image Network during their annual Winfemme contest and I have to say that it was by far the best feature there. Though a couple of the others were effective to an extent, Looking Through Lillian packs such a punch that it's damn near impossible not to be completely moved by it. Speak about a strong female protagonist, you couldn't have one dominate the screen much more than this. And as a woman, I found it gratifying to see a woman portrayed as she really is. Strong, fragile, pure of heart but flawed in her choices and vices, sure of herself but riddled with doubt. A walking contradiction. I also found it very refreshing that the director and storytellers didn't give in to the norm and give the character an easy way out. While the end has a heightened emotional state to it - it doesn't cross over in to fairy tale land - it treats the situation and subject matter the way life treats us in reality - raw, gritty and sometimes surprising. And with that ending, the film almost seems to be inviting imagined scenarios of what would've happened next. Perhaps this is why the film and Lilly herself haunted me for so long after the viewing.

Lilly touched my heart in a deep way and it's always a rare thrill when celluloid manages to accomplish that. I voted this move a 10 but I would've voted 12 it the chart went up that high.

A great new American filmaker is in our midst!

[kuhlhaus · 10/10 · 11 July 2002]

A dark & atmospheric story of one woman's courage to break the bonds of habit and battle the seduction of addiction. Jade Henham delivers a pitch perfect performance in this movie as Lillian. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys to be challenged.

A+ and Higher

[ShanVan75 · 9/10 · 9 September 2002]

The only criterion I have for a film is that it's good. Sadly to say, I more often than not end up leaving the movie theater without that one request met. On this occasion though, not only were my needs met but the film way surpassed anything that I had expected from it. An astonishingly beautiful and heartfelt movie that just takes your breath away bit by bit. The cinematography was beautiful and the camera was right there to lead you in and through. The music was really great and not one of those lame sound-tracks that sounds like a compilation of top 40 radio airplay. The actual score was also very good, kind of a 'Klutesque' type quality to parts of it and a bluesy Billy Holiday feel in others. And then the acting...

Lillian (played by Jade Henham) was so real, so human, so three-dimensional that it just takes your breath away. An incredible debut performance that hints an enormous promise for the future. Lillian is the heart of the movie as the title implies and the actress literally bleeds in the role pulling you in as far as you can go. I was also happy to see Essence Atkins (who plays Andrea, Lilly's best friend) do something besides from TV sitcoms. Her loyalty and concern for Lillian and her dilemmas is absolute. The rest of the cast, especially Gene, delivers in each role. But still in all, it is predominantly Henham that carries you through and draws you in.

Jake Torem did an excellent job fielding the film. His vision was rather unique and reminiscent in some way of Kubrick. Reminiscent in the sense that although there's an alienation to the style of the film, it still manages to engage one personally and the themes remain universal no matter how specific he gets.

Good storytelling, a great lead performance, a wonderful 'pseudo bad guy' with a provocative theme and an excellent ending. This movie did not just pass my test for being good, it flew way over the mark into the land of EXCELLENT.

Out of the blue and cool

[RetroStylistic · 9/10 · 18 April 2003]

A really cool little movie. The cast is all unknowns, at least unknown to me, but the movie had some juicy little bits in it. Not the type of thing for your grandmother to sit down and watch, she'd probably have a heart attack (unless she's got one hell of a closet that you don't know about, accidental pun there), but a cool movie for the rest of us. Liked the chick in it a lot, but really loved the last 30 minutes, period. Definitely not a waste of a rental.