Monday, June 9, 2008

A Final Prayer

Author(s): Tony (PA)
A Final Prayer

Directed by Sidney Lumet
Written by Mark Romanek

Main Cast:

Mark Ruffalo as Jozsef Barsi
Elle Fanning Judith Barsi
Marcia Gay Harden as Maria Barsi
Sydney McCallister as Cassidy

Tagline: "When happiness is reached, so is tragedy"

Synopsis: Jozsef Barsi carries his exhausted wife Maria out the door as he rushes for their departure from the country. They are Hungarian immigrants, desperately trying to flee from the Hungarian revolution into America, where opportunities await. He caresses his wife closely and holds her tightly; she is difficult to hold being pregnant with their first born child. Jozsef can't wait to be a father. He knows he can give her promise and satisfaction, perhaps life in another place. He kisses Maria's forehead and tells her they are almost to their destination, Los Angeles. This is where their daughter is born, Judith Eva Barsi.

Jozsef becomes a role model for his wife and child. The job search is on but no luck, until he lands a job being a plumber. His dream is to provide his family with the love and care he never experienced growing up. Maria has dreams of becoming an actress, but those dreams never come true for her. While young Judith is skating at an ice rink, she is spotted by a talent scout. Judith has the look and personality for television, but she is small for her age. Therefore, she is forced to be injected with growth hormones. As of that day, Judith Barsi becomes a star. She appears in over 70 commercials and lands jobs doing voice acting for films such as "Land Before Time," and "All Dogs Go to Heaven."

In the beginning, Jozsef becomes more envious of his 6 year old daughter the more she becomes famous. They are still on welfare and Jozsef is laid off. He watches her career grow, thus triggering an emotional distress and paranoia coming from his painful childhood growing up in Hungary. This causes him to snap and profusely threaten to kill Judith and Maria. Maria doesn't know where the rage comes from, but she still sees the man that saved her life in a falling country. He refuses to have her work as well. Judith is finally encouraged to see a child psychologist after all the mental and physical abuse. She even began to pluck at her eyebrows and eyelashes to relieve the pain. Maria never pressed any charges, therefore the case was never followed up.

It is at the start of 4th grade when Judith begins bringing in 100,000 dollars a year. This money buys a house in a small neighborhood. This is where she meets her best friend Cassidy. At this time, Jozsef, still unemployed, becomes an alcoholic, and threatens his family with knifes and pans. With jealousy and anger clouding his thoughts, it is only a matter of time before he does something devastating. Maria glows watching her daughter succeed, but feels her soul burn watching her husband deteriorate as he continues to threaten her.

On July 25, 1988, Judith hears the footsteps moving towards her bedroom door, hoping it is her mother coming to tuck her in. The noise gets closer as the door creeks open. Jozsef Barsi walks towards his daughters bed, looks down at her, and pulls the trigger. Maria barges into the room as another shot is fired. He falls to the ground in tears and anguish as he pours the gasoline all throughout the house. He walks out into the garage, and pulls the trigger one last time. That night the neighbor phones the fire department, and they later find the bodies.

Days go by and Cassidy is without her friend. She takes care of Judith's cats, which she loved so much. The memories live on, but the tragedy would stay branded in their hearts forever.

What the press would say:

Strange occurrences happen all over the world. Sometimes we look at movies to escape the on-going bizarreness of our nature. However, sometimes it's the movies that makes us question if our species as a whole can count on each other to survive. Sidney Lumet's "A Final Prayer" is one of those films. The film is based on the horrific story that happened a little under ten years ago that brought hopelessness and shock to a city. A precious gem was taken away from us on an unspeakable and puzzling crime. Pure Lumet is added onto this masterpiece by the way he develops the characters and how he creates tension through the anxiety from his camera work. With the help from "One Hour Photo" writer Mark Romaneck, the two explore how fragmented a family can become when an evil and external force lurks in the air. Mark Ruffalo plays that force as Jozsef Barsi. In the opening scene we're introduced to a humble and caring individual. Mark Ruffalo's transition can be somewhat compared to Jack Nicholson in "The Shining," only less forced and based on development. Ruffalo gives more emphasis to the role with the Hungarian accent and strong, brutal presence that builds on after each scene. What makes this performance more scary is his behavior isn't cliche, but more real. Playing the infamous Judith Barsi is young Elle Fanning. Fanning has never been so deep into a performance. It demands her to be lovable but just by the look in her eyes, we must see sadness and pain. Fanning feeds all her emotions from this role and does our beloved Judith justice. Her later scenes in the film with Mark are mentally unstable to watch which creates a terrific, yet disturbing atmosphere. Lastly, Marcia Gay Harden plays our troubled mother, caught between her loyalty and perhaps stubbornness towards her husband. We know from the dialogue that Jozsef did great things for Maria to earn her trust and respect. To see her husband dwindle in front of her eyes is a challenge for any actress that must be put under that immense pressure and heart break. Harden always has a knack for posing as the antagonist in some minds. The scene where she turns down the press charges makes us all question her decisions; in the end it may have cost her life and her daughter. It's a character we sympathize with, but never admire.

Closing out this review, "A Final Prayer" never answers the whys or wherefores. The script is simply made for us, the viewers, to make our own judgments on what really did trigger Joszef's actions. There are many layers to look into, but at the center is the life of Judith Barsi. A life that every child dreams of, being someone important. It's also a life that some of us recognize, how truly thankful we are for what we have. One minute she was there, and the next she wasn't. The final scene where Cassidy feeds Judith's cats as she breaks down in tears may very well solidify this film to having one of the most powerful conclusions ever on screen. Even if the viewer is familiar with this story and outcome, it still comes off as harrowing, chilling, and simply put real.

FYC:

Best Picture - Sidney Lumet and Mark Romanek
Best Actor - Mark Ruffalo
Best Supporting Actress - Elle Fanning
Best Supporting Actress - Marcia Gay Harden
Best Director - Sidney Lumet
Best Original Screenplay - Mark Romanek

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