Walk the Line, a roller coaster of emotion

Rating: 9/10 (26 November 2005)

Right up front, I'll tell you that I am not a fan of any country music. So, when I accompanied my husband to see this film, I was curious about whether it would hold my attention. This film is not about the music, not entirely. It's about the man and the woman. It was fascinating and compelling, dark and joyous, and left me with a feeling of having gotten to know two people whom I'd never met. The acting is superb. Witherspoon is fabulous. Phoenix reaches down and finds the dark places with adept skill. The actor who plays the father is extraordinary. The camera work heightens the feeling of getting inside the skin of the characters through tight close-ups that can almost make the observer uneasy over the intrusion. In the middle of the film, I caught myself thinking that I didn't like these people very much. By the end of the film, I did. In Walk the Line, I always cared even when I strenuously disapproved of them. This film wrenches emotion from the viewer. Highly recommended.