gmrheart This movie started out really good. Then it just got so confusing and didn't make a lot of sense. For example, who called her on the phone? Was it just her brother playing a trick on her? I couldn't tell. And what was up with the time capsule? And who was at the door at the end? As good an actress as chloe is, even her facial expressions were very confusing. And why did she seem so confused when jenna finally "saw the light" and thought her mom was going to return? Why? She was the one who got her to believe it in the first place? And did the puppy die? And since her daughter was with her when she bought it, how did she not know her mom had a puppy in a box? Just too many questions. Too many loose ends to make any sense.

Beginthebeguine So...we wander through life until something happens that shatters the illusions that we have created for ourselves. Emma (Chloe Sevigny)the elder sister has been acting as Hospice nurse for their ailing mother, who in the opening of the film has finally died. The younger sister Angela (Jena Malone) has come to aid her sister. Also there are Emma's two children, who have their own subplots. Emma is not ready to let go of her mother and after a real or imagined phone call (you decide) which can be interpreted as saying her mother will soon be resurrected, Emma begins to prepare for the event.The dynamics between the sisters is never really explored in a satisfactory way. We do learn that Emma is married and that Angela had a long-term relationship, that Emma considered toxic, that ended recently. Angela meets a younger man who she begins to develop a crush on. This relationship is also not explored to any satisfactory conclusion. If fact, I can see no reason for these subplots, and to be honest, would have though that the plot should have been less diluted by these meaningless subplots. Oh well, I am sure the writer/Director (M. Bash) know exactly what he was trying to say and as he continues in his career I really hope he gets that chance.The film is pleasant to look at and visually it tells the story better than the plot does. Forest fires, sunlight falling through the forest, a horse being cleaned of the chemicals sprayed on the fire and finally two shocking videos played on the computer. The first of a young girl being hit by a train and a demon face (a la The Exorcist). Life shocks us back from our illusions to the reality of death and suffering. Far too film school in its approach, the director does get technological kudos for his ability to paint a picture that distracts from some serious plot and dialogue issues.

gnaomi Emily Dickenson said something about knowing she'd encountered a true poem if it took the top of her head off, or something like that. I know I've encountered a real film, when immediately after the credits have rolled I need to watch it again. M. Blash's "The Wait" is one of those for sure. There was a moment when the sound changed and the image cut to an eerie moon, fire- orange and smoke-black, the clouds moving like a haunting. There was something Kubrick there. And again in the twinning of the blond mother and daughter pair, after a desperate trip to town, which culminated in twin curled coifs. I also loved the primal backdrop of fire, floral light piercing a cave's interior, a herd of horses running, a girl running, a girl dancing. I will put this on the list of my favorite films this year, which also includes Lars Von Trier's "Nymphomaniac" and "Blue is The Warmest Color".

naq-1 A talented newcomer on the scene has utilized the language of film to demonstrate a sophisticated and engrossing portrait of a family falling into dysfunction, yet struggling to hold themselves together. Unable to deal with the passing of her mother, a young woman named Emma, hears a voice on the phone telling her to wait, "they will return." Of course, this is something that she interprets as a sign that her mother will return from the dead. Why not? It seems perfectly reasonable. Oddly enough, her sister Angela, incredulous at first, reluctantly goes along with the fantasy. That starts the mystery -- why would two such upper class twits allow themselves to believe in this modern fairy tale? Once you buy the concept, and are willing to suspend your disbelief, you become lulled in by the sumptuous images, the endless wandering through the woods, and odd behavior by otherwise normal people. The cinematography is outstanding for a low-budget project such as this, with stunning shots of a wildfire (apparently it was shot sometime during a massive fire in Oregon), and the shots of the planes flying over, dropping long clouds of pinkish fire retardant are strangely beautiful.Chloe Sevigny as Emma performs exactly as expected, she sells the idea wholeheartedly. Jena Malone, as the sister supposedly with her head together, is less believable, but does manage to convey the baffling contrast between someone who doesn't for a moment believe in the idea of resurrection, yet is willing to give in for the sake of keeping her sister happy. She develops an outside interest in a man-boy named Ben, who has a poet's soul, but who cannot seem to penetrate whatever barriers she has constructed (we never find out exactly why).There are a couple of minor subplots, one of which involves a younger brother and one of the other neighbor boys, but it is given short shrift and then tossed on the back burner, which is a shame, since it would have added some much needed interest outside of the two main characters.There is also some professional work done by a young girl named Lana Green, who has a small but dynamic role as Emma's daughter, and should be a leading actress in another 10 years.Overall, a few plot lines get lost, and some of the lines make no sense whatsoever, but the beautiful shots more than make up for the shortcomings.