Reviewed by Glenn Gaslin (October/November 2006) Directed by Michael Meredith. Starring Peter Falk, Don Meredith, Michael Santoro, Joey Bilow, Merle Kennedy. Released by Rogue Arts. Production Budget: $25 million (estimated). Box office: $2,841 (U.S.). There's only one way to make the stories of Anton Chekhov even more melancholy than reading them on a bitter Taganrog night: Set 'em in Cleveland, during a rainstorm, layered with lingering downbeat jazz. There's no need to have read "A Father," "The Cossack," or the four other stories updated in this melodic trip through pain, revelation and endurance. Strip away the literary pretense, and this hypnotic mosaic is simply a six-pack of heartbreak: a cabbie who can't find an ear to bend about his dead son, a junkie saving her baby from an abusive foster home, an aging yuppie couple drifting apart, a hilarious drunk out of cash. Just bring an umbrella; when the storm clears, these seemingly small tales with quiet endings sure do leave a mess. |
