Aurora Borealis DVD Review
Donald Sutherland stars in this coming of age film... for an adult
Duncan (played by now-grown-up Dawson Creek hottie Joshua Jackson) drifts through life with only the loyalty of his high school friends and family as his stability. Trouble is, while everyone has grown up and crafted a somewhat stable life for themselves, Duncan has not been able to hold a job for very long and far too often relies on his friends to bail him out. With his ailing grandfather (played by Donald Sutherland) needing constant care and attention, he takes a job as a handyman in his Grandfather`s building to be closer to him and his grandmother (played by Louise Fletcher). It's there he meets Kate (Juliette Lewis), a caregiver. Romance blossoms, renewing Duncan with a sense of purpose. But when his grandfather takes a turn for the worse, and Kate decides to leave, what will Duncan do?
On a whole, the film is very quiet and sleepy. There is nothing incredible about it - which is one of it`s pleasant qualities. All too often we're so distracted by special effects, stunt sequences, or dazzling choreography that the heart and soul of the film's message (if there is one at all) goes missing. So, while the film is quiet and sleepy, it's very refreshing to still be compelled by a real-to-life story.
Everyone knows a guy like Duncan - the guy who's constantly down on his luck that you're friends with out of pity, loyalty but also because he is a good friend and has a good heart. And you want to tell your friend Duncan that if only he would get his act together, he could actually make something of himself . In all, Duncan is scared of change and ripped out from his comfort zone so that he clutches to his tragic past because it's what he knows. In other words, he's used to failure - it's familiar.
So while the movie is being marketed as a romantic comedy, what results is more of a coming-of-age story where a guy has to grow up and face the world as an adult and expect that he can actually succeed if he puts in the work required of him.
Special features on the DVD release include: Audio Commentary and fairly in-depth interviews by the cast and crew of Aurora Borealis.
