A very relevant and special movie

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2006)

'Garden State' was a refreshing movie to watch. It was unlike anything I have seen in a long time. The flow of the narrative, the profiles of the characters and of course the moment it was trying to showcase. Let me make one thing quite clear. It takes a minimum of two viewings to understand and appreciate what the movie was trying to highlight.
Andrew returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral. A sad reason to finally meet with his old man after almost a decade, but a reason nonetheless. The father and son are trying to look for ways to bond. The father has his reasons while the son definitely has his for being away from each other.
Andrew is struggling with his inner self since he has stopped feeling  anything  for almost a decade now. Ever since he started on the drugs that were given to him for his 'health' reasons. They have stopped him from feeling. They have stopped him from being.
On his short visit he runs into Sam. An epileptic who is so emotional that crying comes so easy to her. I think the reason why he is drawn to her so quickly is she feels everything. Even if it is someone else's pain. She weeps for his mother's loss. She laughs at his joy. She feels everything.
This, despite being a real patient herself. When Andrew realizes this so comes the next obvious emotion  love. He starts spending more time with Sam all the while realizing he is being drawn to her. That he is falling in love. A new feeling, finally, that is happening to him after so long. 'Garden State' is a snapshot of one brief milestone in Andrew's life that sees him becoming a different person. A real person with real emotions. Even if it is pain.
I had seen Zach Braff only in 'Scrubs' so my image of him was always of the geeky doctor who always behaves like an intern. Seeing him in this much mature, almost adult, role was a refreshing change. My perception of him as an actor (and a director!) has definitely changed. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.
The soundtracks are very well chosen to make the story go forward. A real delight to be able to associate a good track with the visuals. Well done Zach! Good call. Technically the movie is well shot with some neat camera work. I was not too crazy about the climax but hey, its all about being in the Garden state isn't it. So I will let it slide.
I would definitely recommend this simple, yet very relevant feature for those who need a break from the cliché Hollywood dishes out tirelessly.