Pieces of April: Film #1 of Film 365

Sunday 13th March 2011

Director: Peter Hedges
Year: 2003
Stars: Katie Holmes, Oliver Platt, Patricia Clarkson, Derek Luke, Alison Pill, John Gallagher Jr.

This film has been waiting to be watched for a long time - over a year. I'm not sure why it's been left so long, as I'd only heard good things about it from reviews I had read. Considering it was at the very bottom of the list, I figured it was a good place to start with my Project Film 365. It also wasn't a horror film, which wasn't really what I wanted when I was alone in the house!

I was, however, worried it would be a bit depressing. Pieces of April is all about April, a girl who is doing her best to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for her family, who she hasn't seen for some time, and they aren't altogether happy that they're going to New York to spend the day with April.

I was pleasantly surprised. Whilst there are depressing moments, this isn't like the British kitchen-sink type dramas that just don't let up on the misery. In fact, it gets the tone just right and treads the perfect line between happy and sad. The film also manages to do what many films fail to do, and focuses on one storyline without getting bogged down in irrelevant detail. You only learn about the parts of the characters lives that are relevant to the story, but you don't feel you miss anything because of this. A wonderfully made, complete film.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5