Claudio Carvalho
The talented photographer Natalie (Kyra Sedgwick) is having financial difficulties in New York. Her friend and agent Julia (Stockard Channing) finds a two day job in Boston for US$ 20,000.00, and the reluctant Natalie accepts the work due to her need of money. When she arrives, she finds that she was hired by her arrogant gay brother Roy (Kiefer Sutherland), a successful designer. Natalie has broken the relationship and they have not seen each other for ten years. When she finishes her assignment, Roy asks her to stay one more day for his birthday party, and after that he tells her that he has AIDS. Natalie stays with him and along his last days, their resentments change to fraternal love."Behind the Red Door" is a little movie, with a single and quite pointless story and great performances. Kiefer Sutherland surprises in the role of gay we are used to see him performing tough detectives and agents; Kyra Sedgwick is also great, as usual, and Stockard Channing is wasted in a minor role. Unfortunately the screenplay is not good: the quarrel of the siblings, why they have broken their relationship, is never explained; the death of their mother by the father is pointless and goes nowhere; and the financial position of the siblings could suggest that Natalie stayed with and bore Roy in the beginning just because of his wealthy testament and job position Roy promises to pay for everything, even for her to stay with him in his birthday party. The lead trio of actor and actresses deserved a better screenplay. My vote is six.Title (Brazil) "Uma Porta Para o Passado" ("A Door to the Past")
sigggyfreud
I watched this movie on cable recently because there was nothing else on at the time. The power of the film caught me by surprise--I'm amazed that it apparently didn't rate wider distribution (couldn't find a review in either of my movie guides). Its the story of a gay advertising exec (Sutherland) dying from AIDS and the complicated relationship that he has with his estranged sister (Sedgwick), a talented photographer. There are also references to the equally complicated relationships with their father (who probably murdered their mother). The realistic portrayal of these relationships is what drives this movie, bolstered by the outstanding performances of the actors. Sutherland is powerful as a dying man who is terrified and shows it by his alternating pleas for help and outbursts of anger at being helpless. Sedgwick is equally good as the sister who is cowed by her brother but trying to piece together the past and find resolution to the situation. The writer/director dedicated the film to "my brother Roy" and one wonders if this is the reason the film rings so true.
nikos dimitrakas
Not too bad, but not something to watch more than once, unless you are a huge fan of one of the actors, who make a quite good appearance. Especially Kiefer nails his part and makes the film better. Otherwise quite slow film that leaves one possibly confused. Possible SPOILERS follow:It is nice to see Kiefer Sutherland in something else than 24. He can actually talk and not just whisper and he sure can act (but we already knew that). With just 5 seconds he can show that his character is gay, but I guess a lot of credit should go to the writers and director too. Kyra on the other hand did not impress me that much. Maybe it is because I didn't feel her character. But in all fairness she does capture her character well.
Rogue-32
Behind the Red Door features two wonderful, nuanced performances from Kiefer and Kyra, who make us believe they are actually brother and sister - a major achievement in itself. The film has a very haunted atmosphere that thickens and deepens as the story progresses; ultimately it's a heart-felt experience, one that rings true in a quiet, subtle way.
AD
