Didn't want it to end

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2008)

Although I am a lifelong movie lover I can not write as intelligently about movie making or movie makers as many who post here. So I can not speak to the technicalities of this except that of course there were many. Mostly though I simply loved this film. We were three generations who saw it together and we all loved it. To me it was filled with love. The gentle character of Benjamin himself, the selfless love of "Momma" All the scenes were beautiful even while they were violent. I loved the scenes in the kitchen in the Russian winter palace, in the home, the last scene, the sailing scenes. This was so rich and dense with characters that were all interesting and ultimately loving, from Benjamin's father to the twin brothers on the tugboat and the kindliness of so many of the people in the home, Benjamin's "sister" the welfare workers and the main characters themselves. To me this was a flawless movie, which perhaps if I watch it again will not remain so, but for one who sees relatively few movie theater movies, this was the perfect movie going experience.