Constellation (2005/Drama)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C- Compilation: B-
Gabrielle
Union plays a young lady whose love for a white man causes her pain and
emphasizes how ugly her WWII world really is on writer/director Jordan
Walker-Pearlman’s Constellation
(2005) which tells its story in chronological order instead of cowardly
flashbacks. Much of it takes place in
modern day when her character brings an often broken family together. Boasting a cast that includes Clarence
Williams III, Rae Dawn Chong, Billy Dee Williams, Zoe Saldana, Leslie Ann
Warren and Tracee Ellis Ross, this is one of the most pleasant surprises we
have had in a while.
Not
heavy-handed, nicely paced and keeping a mature tone that brings the material
to life, there is much heart and soul to this tale that turns out to offer
multiple storylines that all have a center in Union’s character. The film crosscuts back to her and sometimes
only in voice from the past, though it sometimes is not specific of when that
time is and that is yet another plus for the film, allowing it to focus on the
drama and not bad storytelling clichés or gimmicks. This is a release that deserves much more
attention and we hope the DVD gives it that.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is soft, but nicely composed throughout
by Director of Photography John L. Demps Jr., all of which is destroyed by the
awful 1.33 version also included which may be undercutting the performance of
the widescreen version. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix is limited since this is a dialogue-based film, but it is
nicely recorded just the same including the music and Michael Beardon’s
supportive score. The only extra is the
interesting original theatrical trailer.
- Nicholas Sheffo
