You Can Count on Me

Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, You Can Count on Me is the story of a single mother who gets a visit from her younger brother who stays longer than expected as they deal with their relationship as well as other issues within their family. The film is an exploration of the relationship between siblings as well as a woman trying to deal with aspects of her life as well as help her wayward brother find a sense of direction in his life. Starring Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Rory Culkin, Jon Tenney, J. Smith-Cameron, Amy Ryan, Josh Lucas, Gaby Hoffman, Adam LeFevre, and Matthew Broderick. You Can Count on Me is an extraordinarily rich film from Kenneth Lonergan.

Set in a small town in upstate New York, the film follows a single mother who is raising her eight-year old son while working at a bank where she learns her younger brother is coming home. Though he was supposed to stay for a day as he’s asking her for money, some troubling circumstances relating to his girlfriend forces him to stay longer as he has to do a few duties for his sister in raising his nephew. During the course of the film, the two cope with their different lifestyles as well as their own vices which would eventually affect one another. Kenneth Lonergan’s script explore the dynamic between Sammy (Laura Linney) and Terry Prescott (Mark Ruffalo) as these two siblings who both lost their parents in an accident when they were kids as it had affected them greatly. For Sammy, she would live at the home she had lived for all of her life as she would share it with her son Rudy (Rory Culkin) as she struggles with her job due to the fact that she’s working for a new manager in Brian Everett (Matthew Broderick).

When Terry writes a letter in the hope that he would stay for a day, Sammy is excited at first until she learned why Terry hadn’t contacted her for months as it relates to the fact that he’s had some bad luck and continues to drift from city to city. Though his visit was only for money, he is forced to stay longer than expected where he would bond with Rudy who keeps asking Terry about his father since Sammy never talks about him as Terry would reveal that his father isn’t someone he liked at all. While Terry is someone that admits to having no real sense of direction of what to do. Sammy’s life is in a whirlwind as she is in relationship with a man named Bob (Jon Tenney) who wants to marry her as she is unsure while she would have an affair with her boss. Terry would know about Sammy’s love life as he would be baffled when she brings the local minister (Kenneth Lonergan) to counsel him as it is a key moment early in the third act about the tension between the two over their lifestyle choices.

Lonergan’s direction is simple in terms of the compositions and setting as much of the film is shot on location at Margaretville, New York near the Catskill Mountains as fictional small towns of Scottsville and Auburn. The locations in the film is a big importance as it relates to the this sheltered world that Sammy is in and why she wants to shelter Rudy from aspects of the outside world knowing how fucked up it is. For Terry, it’s an environment that isn’t ideal for him since there isn’t much to do other than drink, play pool, or go fishing. While there are some wide shots of the locations, Lonergan goes for something that is more intimate in terms of the drama that is prominent throughout the film. Notably in some of the close-ups and medium shots as there is this one shot in the latter from the stairs in the corner of the dining room that shows where Sammy, Terry, and Rudy would be sitting if they’re eating dinner. It’s among these little details including the lunch scene where Sammy and Terry meet on the day of the latter’s arrival where there is a wide shot to show the other patrons hearing the two argue over Terry’s troubles.

The direction also play into these little quirks over Brian’s disdain over things at the bank which is just silly as it play into some of the film’s humor which is subtle as well as what Sammy would do in her affair with Brian. Still, Lonergan maintains that low-key approach to the drama which include scenes in the third act as it play into Terry’s immaturity as well as Sammy’s own flaws where she would force Terry to confront his own aimlessness to cover up for her troubles. The third act is dramatically-intense as it relates to Rudy’s father where it play into why Sammy never wants Rudy to know about him and why Terry despises him. All of which forces Sammy and Terry to deal with their own differences but also realize that they can still rely on each other. Overall, Lonergan crafts a rapturous yet heartfelt film about two siblings coping with loss and themselves.

Cinematographer Stephen Kazmierski does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward to play into the locations in the daytime but also with some low-key lighting for the scenes at night including the film’s opening scene. Editor Anne McCabe does brilliant work with the editing as it is straightforward with some jump-cuts as well as some rhythmic cuts for the drama. Production designer Michael Shaw, with set decorator Lydia Marks and art director Shawn Carroll, does fantastic work with the look of the house Sammy and Rudy live in as well as a few of the places they go to with Terry.

Costume designer Melissa Toth does nice work with the costumes as it is mainly straightforward to play into the look of the characters from the more clean clothes of Sammy when she’s working to the ragged look of Terry. Sound editor Wendy Hedin does terrific work with the sound as it play into the natural atmosphere of the locations including the chaotic sound at the bar. The film’s music by Lesley Barber is superb as it is very low-key in its folk-based score with bits of country while music supervisors Barry Cole and Christopher Covert provide music from folk and country with the latter being something Sammy listens to with the rest of the soundtrack consisting of classical pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach.

The casting by Lina Todd is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Amy Ryan and Michael Countryman as Sammy and Terry’s parents in the first scene, Haley Feiffer as Sammy and Terry’s babysitter early in the film, Whitney Vance as the young Sammy, Peter Kerwin as the young Terry, Kenneth Lonergan as the local pastor, Nina Garbiras as Brian’s pregnant wife, Kim Parker as the girlfriend of Rudy’s father, Adam LeFerve as the local sheriff who knows Sammy and Terry, Gaby Hoffman as Terry’s girlfriend at Worcester, J. Smith-Cameron as a bank secretary that Sammy tries to protect from Brian, and Josh Lucas as the man who might be Rudy’s father. Jon Tenney is superb as Bob as an old boyfriend of Sammy who is seeking to marry her unaware of the things she does as he’s just a nice guy that never did anything wrong.

Matthew Broderick is excellent as Brian Everett as the bank manager and Sammy’s boss who is annoyed by the little quirks at the bank while engaging into an affair with Sammy that becomes too intense for Sammy. Rory Culkin is brilliant as Rudy as Sammy’s eight-year old son that is trying to deal with his own adolescents and idea of who his father is where he would find a father-figure in his uncle where he would get a broad idea of the world. Mark Ruffalo is incredible as Terry Prescott as Sammy’s younger brother who drifts from place to place to find something as he finds himself back home unsure of what to do while finding a comfortable role as Rudy’s uncle where he would give his nephews an idea of the world but also make sure that the kid does have some kind of hope to carry. Finally, there’s Laura Linney in a phenomenal performance as Sammy Prescott as a bank loan manager who is raising an eight-year old son as she is dealing with all things in her life including relationships with two different men as well as dealing with her brother at home and wondering about what he will do next as she is also forced to face her own faults.

You Can Count on Me is a tremendous film from Kenneth Lonergan that features great performances from Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, and Rory Culkin. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous setting, and a riveting story about loss and siblings coping with their own differences. It’s a film that manages to create something that is engaging but it is also willing not to provide any easy answers into how some cope with loss or the fact that they can’t adjust to certain places or ideas in life. In the end, You Can Count on Me is a spectacular film from Kenneth Lonergan.

Kenneth Lonergan Films: Margaret (2011 film) - Manchester by the Sea

© thevoid99 2017

Down in the Valley

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/8/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written and directed by David Jacobsen, Down in the Valley is the story of a cowboy who meets a rebellious teenage girl as they begin a torrid relationship as he copes with the modern world. The film is an exploration into a man who finds himself in a world where he tries to play cowboy as he faces the darker realities of the modern world. Starring Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin, David Morse, and Bruce Dern. Down in the Valley is an enchanting yet uneven film from David Jacobsen.

Arriving onto the San Fernando Valley, a cowboy named Harlan (Edward Norton) enters into the strange, vast world filled with gas stations, shops, and cars. To Harlan, it's a mysterious world as he lives at a motel and takes a job at a gas station. Meanwhile, a rebellious, 17-year old girl named Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) also feels lonely since she lives with her father Wade (David Morse) and her shy, 13-year old brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin). Since Tobe doesn't get along with her father, she often goes out with her friends including April (Kat Denning) where on the way to the beach, Tobe meets Harlan at the gas station. An attraction immediately happens as Harlan joins Tobe and her friends to the beach where they fall in love. After introducing Harlan to Lonnie, Wade becomes uncomfortable at Tobe's new relationship with Harlan.

After a night in the town driven by Ecstacy, Harlan and Tobe's relationship becomes passionate which makes Wade uneasy. Even when Harlan and Tobe decide to go horseback riding where the horse's owner named Charlie (Bruce Dern) accuses Harlan of theft. After Wade deals with Charlie, he forbids Tobe to see Harlan again. Still, Tobe's love for Harlan remains strong as she has to go San Diego for the weekend to be with her friends. Harlan however, tries to live without Tobe for the weekend often pretending to be in some Western or writing a letter to a man named Joe. Hoping for Tobe to return on the day she was supposed to, he finds Lonnie where he takes Lonnie shooting since Wade owns some authentic guns. Upon returning home, Wade finds Lonnie with Harlan and threatens to shoot him if he doesn’t leave his family alone.

Learning what Wade had done, Tobe meets Harlan where she asks him to leave the family alone till Wade cools down. With his cowboy fantasy starting to blur with reality, Harlan gets in trouble as he gets kicked out of his hotel while trying to steal things hoping to win Tobe back. Still, Harlan finds himself alienated by the modern world as he remains stuck in the Old West. After meeting Tobe after some time away from her, he plans to make an escape with her but Tobe isn't sure what's going on. After an accident, Harlan's vision of the Old West begins to collide with reality as he tries to kidnap Lonnie and have a confrontation with Wade, who finds out some troubling news about Harlan from an investigator (Geoffrey Lewis).

Films about reality against fantasy does often require strange fantasy sequences but for what writer/director David Jacobson goes for is an internal conflict in a man who has a love for the West but finds himself alienated by the modern world. While the film is largely inspired by the work of the legendary Terrence Malick, notably Badlands, the film does have the same poetic imagery and dialogue in terms of what Harlan is in and in his relationship with Tobe. Despite the Malick-esque imagery and imagery, the film's script is very flawed. While some can figure out the tense relationship between Wade and Tobe, there's no back story into their tension. Plus, the first half of the film is a love story while the second half becomes a modern-day Western where they're both interesting but makes the film to be uneven. Despite a lot of wonderful imagery, scenes, and everything else, Jacobson doesn't seem to know what kind of film he's making though the performances do remain consistent with its Badlands-like tone.

Helping Jacobson in his unique vision is cinematographer Enrique Chediak whose wonderful photography of many of the film's exterior settings, notably the hills of the San Fernando Valley is breathtaking as well some night sequences that shows the nightlife of Los Angeles in all of its glory. Production designer Franco Giacomo Carbone and set decorator Robert Greenfield do fantastic work in providing the idea of the West in a fantasy sequence for Harlan while showing the colorful and modern look of Los Angeles. Costume designer Jacqueline West does great work in creating the cowboy look for Norton while giving Evan Rachel Wood some wonderful dresses.

Editors Edward Harrison and Lynzee Klingman does wonderful work in providing a rhythmic, stylized editing that gives the film a nice flow and feel. Sound designer Scott Sanders does some great work in the film's sound, including a scene where Harlan goes to a synagogue that reveals his alienation. The film's haunting score is filled with wonderful guitar work from Peter Salett that brings a sense of suspense and atmosphere to its varied sequences. The soundtrack is largely filled with dreamy mixes of music ranging from mariachi to old-school Western songs as well as cuts from Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Calexio, and two great tracks from Mazzy Star where the vocals of Hope Sandoval provide some of the film's most haunting moments.

The film’s cast includes some wonderful small performances and cameos from Ira David Wood IV, Kat Dennings, Ty Burrell, Elizabeth Pena, and Geoffrey Lewis as an investigator. In a small role, Bruce Dern is great as a haggard ranch owner who is suspicious of Harlan’s motives and understanding of Wade’s control issues. David Morse is excellent as the strict, caring Wade who is trying to talk to his children while dealing with Harlan as Morse does some outstanding work in the scenes he's in. Rory Culkin is amazing as the shy, scared Lonnie who tries to seek some kind of adventure and confidence as he often relies on his sister and Harlan since his dad isn't around much. Evan Rachel Wood is fantastic as Tobe as this young woman who copes with growing pains as she falls for Harlan while having a hard time dealing with Harlan's eccentricities. Finally, there's Edward Norton in a brilliant performance as Harlan as this troubled man who seems like someone that is out of step with the times as he wants to play cowboy in a world that is very complicated as it is this very fascinating mix between fantasy and reality.

The Lions Gate/ThinkFilm Region 1 DVD of Down in the Valley presents the film 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround & 2.0 Stereo sound in 16x9 widescreen presentation. The DVD also brings trailers to not just this film but The King w/ Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt, I Love Your Work by Adam Goldberg, and other films. Two big special features are on the DVD. The first is a 21-minute Q&A session with Edward Norton and director David Jacobson as they're interviewed by Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers. In the interview, Jacobson talks about the collision of fantasy and reality and how the San Fernando Valley has a mystique concerning the West. Edward Norton talked about getting the script in 2003 and wanting to work with Jacobson as the two developed the project and both wanted Evan Rachel Wood for the role of Tobe after seeing her in thirteen in which the two widely praised her as well as the other actors as Norton was laid-back in the interview.

The second big special feature is a nine-minutes worth of four deleted scenes. The first is an extended opening sequence involving Tobe and Lonnie on a bridge in which Lonnie causes an accident. The second is a deleted scene where Harlan looks for a new hat and buys the white dress that Tobe would wear. The third is touching scene involving Lonnie and Wade about an incident in where Lonnie professes his innocence. The final scene is an extended sequence of a supposed fantasy scene where Harlan talks to a cowboy played by Ty Burrell.

Down in the Valley is a superb yet flawed film from David Jacobsen that features top-notched performances from Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin, and David Morse. While it is uneven in its exploration of fantasy and reality, it does manage to bring in some compelling ideas about the complications of the modern world. In the end, Down in the Valley is a stellar film from David Jacobsen.

© thevoid99 2015