What I also appreciated was exceptional cinematography. A common pitfall of independent films lies in defaulting to unnecessaryily close cropping of the frame to get an uncomfortable and 'real' sense, and relying on a documentary-like cheapening of visual and auditory quality to attempt the same effects. 'Blue Car' stood true to fine cinematography and was rewarded with a perfect visual presence. Scenes and shots were cropped exactly as they need to be. Camera angles were natural, relying on the more abstract only when purpose required them, not in every other shot or doing so in the need to inject an emotional response that the rest of the production couldn't carry alone. And the film equally wasn't afraid to come in closer to where it needed to be, rather than a film of primarily all wide and semi-wide shots, which can happen as well. No indulgences, no skittishness, it was simply done the way it was meant to be done, invisibly impactful.

Actually that last sentence describes the entire film. 'Blue Car' hits you with such honesty and simple raw emotion. No matter what age, you realize how important the need for human connection, purpose, and the attention that should be of common respect and concern for each other. It shows how often these are lost in the noise of career, personal desires, and the drive to advance oneself up the economic ladder. And it shows how often we don't even realize these needs in ourselves no matter how much they are driving our emotions and actions. But sometimes we finally realize it.

Website Review: (http://www.miramax.com/bluecar/index.html) It looks like its website is screaming for attention to. It was horribly neglected and almost nonexistant. It has the trailer, however.

(Review ©2003 by Joshua Parkinson, posted originally at http://www.indestructiblecycles.com)