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The movie Beloved, starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover is a complex, convoluted, yet wonderfully acted epic which is at least 30 minutes too long. During the last hour I was continually on the edge of my seat, due more to impatience than suspense. I could never tell when it was going to end. Based on a novel by Toni Morrison, which I hear is a tough but worthwhile read, the story flips far too often between sub-plots and flashbacks, putting my short-term memory to the test. After almost three hours the credits started scrolling and the audience took a hint and left the theatre. As I drove home however, I had a nagging feeling it may have been just another plot twist and the movie was still playing. The story takes place in Ohio in the 19th century shortly after the Civil War. Winfrey plays a former slave living with her teenage daughter in a house, haunted by the ghost of the baby she murdered 18 years earlier. The ghost, a mischievous imp, gets off to a running start in the opening scene by popping the eye out of the family dog. The sight of the dog twitching on the floor with one eyeball hanging out was sickening. But then the ghost seemed to lose its momentum. The rest of the pranks were your garden- variety horror tactics -- sliding dishes and slamming doors. Not enough to send anyone running screaming for the exit. The story more or less begins with the reappearance of Winfrey's former love interest, Danny Glover, who's been walking the countryside for 18 years. Shortly after he settles in, a mysterious young woman shows up on the front lawn one morning dressed very stylishly, but covered in bugs. The home now consists of Winfrey, her disturbed, hostile daughter, Glover (who pulls another disappearing/reappearing act), and the frighteningly weird visitor who seems oddly immature for her age. Toss in a few eerie happenings, strange red lights and every scene taking place either at night or under a cloudy sky, and you have the family drama from hell. Everyone plays their role frighteningly well. Oprah does a great job playing a haunted former slave, and Glover displays a strength of character which had me convinced he'd be the man who would eventually set all the weird stuff straight. Kimberley Elise, as Winfrey's teenage daughter Denver, is an intense, apparently disturbed girl (which should come as no surprise considering her ghostly environment) who gives the impression she is capable of incredible violence if pushed. And Thandie Newton as the mysterious young visitor, who, although beautiful, is downright frightening. But too many twists, turns and seemingly irrelevant conversations chase away any suspense which may have built up. Believe it or not, the movie was great. It was one of those flicks you may find yourself still thinking about (or haunted by) a week later. I suspect there'll be a few Academy Award nominations in the acting categories, but if it's in the running for best picture, I'll eat my diskette.
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