Great actors play interesting characters who are lost in a muddled mystery.
They make the pain of watching Simpatico worthwhile. The results consume them for years until they can no longer stand the weight of their guilty conscience. The depth of spiritual pain this fabulous cast has the power to convey is unfortunately lost in the need to jump around in time to sufficiently explain the intricate plot. What we do care about, the truly bad deed that s eating away at the souls of the perpetrators, is turned into an awkward mystery, and in the end seems hardly worth the moral hand wringing. When all the cards are finally dealt, we feel cheated for having been forced into an elaborate plot that ultimately reveals nothing new or even refreshing.