Growing up, largely unsupervised, in forested isolation in upstate New York, the boys are alternately glued to or running away from their parents’ rocky relationship. Later floating sequences are almost expected in a film that is so airy and otherworldly, one frets it might glide away entirely. Zagar’s film does distinguish itself as a showcase for its cast. The director, who received an Academy Award nomination for a 2008 documentary, In a Dream, has coaxed marvellous performances from non-professionals who, pre-production lived together as a faux family. Director of photography Zak Mulligan keeps the camera at the children’s height, a disadvantaged level that mirrors not only their stature, but their drifting grasp of the adult world.

Source: The Irish Times June 14, 2019 03:56 UTC