Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

Tideland

(2005)

Could a Terry Gilliam film possibly be as bad as what the critics were saying? This movie had a few champions, but you could count them on one hand and have lots of fingers left over. Yeah, The Brothers Grimm wasn’t that good, but it had its moment. This one has nothing boredom and nausea. Sadly, it seems to have been an important film to Gilliam, based on a book I never heard of but which was well-regarded and which Gilliam loved. He went so far as to preface it with a personal appearance, speaking directly to the camera, warning us that some of us would like it, some hate it, and some not know what to think of it. Even more sadly, I know exactly what to think of it, and there’s not much point in writing it all down. Just take a look at the worst reviews, and they speak for me. The one bright point, the little girl, Jodelle Ferland, who is in almost every scene, could be quite good, she has a natural screen presence. Too bad she isn’t given much to do here.