Genres

Visitors Review

dubgirl99 2012-05-24 10:54:46

A lovely, subtle, engaging, human film

I think what really made this film work so well, other than thefantastic casting, is that the film never attempted to overreach itsgoal. it was striving for a human drama, and it captured the trueessence of sibling bonds in what can only be described as elegant. Thescript, the power of the performances, are surprising and understated,which gives it all the marks of a weepie, while one cannot help butadmire the courage of these real two people, which the film depicts.Kiefer Sutherland's performance was so subtle and beautiful at timesthat it was hard to watch him in a more typical role afterward, showinghis diversity as an actor never ceases to amaze. Bravo! I wouldrecommend this film to anyone who wishes to suspend any preconceivednotions of him as a action or villain character actor and to invitethem to view this film as a truly lovely piece of human drama. bewarned, tissues are needed.

lovespirit 2012-05-24 01:42:36

Exquisite Acting Masterpiece

I watched this movie and was highly impressed with Keifer Sutherland andKyra Sedgwick's acting!! A deeply emotional movie with meaning for thetitle! Nice filming of how the actors (Keifer and Kyra) reflect back onthepast...haunting at times. Another wonderful film by Showtime. More thanjust about being gay and AIDS...about a brother and sister'srelationship...changing from a love-hate relationship to a loving one asthemain character with health problems leaves this Earth. StockardChanning,as an agent for both Kyra and Keifer, is so, so...but Keifer and Kyra arewhat make the movie a classic. Their acting and the dynamics arefascinating. Keifer Sutherland plays a gay man with AIDS on medication,whois an ad executive. Kyra Sedgwick plays a "straight" photographer whodoesn't show her gift of photography, but gets an assignment through heragent that ends up being for her brother. After they meet again, doesshego home leaving him? Watch the movie and see!! AAA+++ for this movie.Itis striking in its interspersement of the past and present, the use ofemotions, the acting of Keifer and Kyra and the beauty of the settingthatit was filmed in (a European country). The house that the main characterlives in is beautiful along with the outdoor scenery. This is a movieaboutlove and deeply held emotions and a relative who cares.

amanda0852 2012-05-22 20:14:52

Completely Wonderful

I hadn't heard of this movie, so didn't know what to expect from it. Itis completely wonderful, with a little edge that holds you engrossed tothe end. The acting is great, by all involved, but I have renewedrespect for Sutherland's acting. It's filmed in Newfoundland and thebeauty of the area is shown to great advantage; it simply sweeps you inand makes you want to go there immediately. Also noticed the musicwritten for the film; very good, indeed. It's been awhile since a movieheld my attention so definitely, but this one did. It will be a repeatperformance in my collection, and a movie I'll recommend most highly tofriends ....

2012-05-22 15:25:49

Absolutely Recommended.

This review is from: Behind the Red Door (DVD) First, this is a superb script. It searches the deepest emotional corners of life with crystalline clarity. There is depth of emotion without sentiment, spiritual exploration without cliche and human truth devoid of lecturing. In addition, this writer and director were truly fortunate in their cast. The characters are extraordinarly realized and executed. It takes trained, talented and caring actors to so succesfully inhabit their roles. But their way was certainly smoothed by the heartbreaking intensity and utter integrity of the story.The locations are almost painfully beautiful and the editing and direction produce an utterly seamless experience. Finally, this not a story about death; it's about living life -- and that is it's greatest acheivement.

caroledelm 2012-05-13 14:43:48

SURPRISINGLY GOOD FLICK

I don't ordinarily go in for "dying" movies, but Kiefer Sutherland is sotalented, I made an exception. He was excellent in this film, bringingthecharacter to life in a most believable way. I also like Kyra Sedgwick,butall throughout, I kept picturing Julia Roberts in that role - they're somuch alike, in my opinion. I always love to watch Stockard Channing, whoconsistently gives a fine performance. She was the shining light in"Grease", which was otherwise pablum. Her scene in BTRD with Sedgwick,where they shouted curses at each other was hysterical!

nikos-16 2012-05-13 01:41:38

So and so movie, excellent performance by Kiefer

Not too bad, but not something to watch more than once, unless you area huge fan of one of the actors, who make a quite good appearance.Especially Kiefer nails his part and makes the film better. Otherwisequite slow film that leaves one possibly confused. Possible SPOILERS follow:It is nice to see Kiefer Sutherland in something else than 24. He canactually talk and not just whisper and he sure can act (but we alreadyknew that). With just 5 seconds he can show that his character is gay,but I guess a lot of credit should go to the writers and director too.Kyra on the other hand did not impress me that much. Maybe it isbecause I didn't feel her character. But in all fairness she doescapture her character well.

2012-05-10 20:55:59

Takeing My Breath Away

This movie has to be one of the most inspiering, and beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. The imagry and simbalizom alone, were enoff to take my breath away, add that to an amazing cast and script you have your self this 5 star flick. This is a spctauler film and moveing story. I would recomend it to anyone, espshaly if they have siblings.

p_yanna 2012-05-10 10:19:47

Excellent

I knew next to nothing about this film and rented mainly because I haveloved Kiefer Sutherland since I first saw him in Stand by me (and that's adifficult movie to love him in)His performance is simply perfection, never becoming too sympathetic, neverlosing touch of the character. Oddly, what has stayed with me is theflashback scene of him applying makeup on his dead mother's face, lipstickshaking in his hands.This is a complex and beautiful film, focussing on the relationship betweenbrother and sister, rather than the glamorous world they are both working inor the mystery of who killed their mother.I know I must see this film again. I strongly recommendit.

sigggyfreud 2012-05-04 14:38:34

The pain of dying young

I watched this movie on cable recently because there was nothing elseon at the time. The power of the film caught me by surprise--I'm amazedthat it apparently didn't rate wider distribution (couldn't find areview in either of my movie guides). Its the story of a gayadvertising exec (Sutherland) dying from AIDS and the complicatedrelationship that he has with his estranged sister (Sedgwick), atalented photographer. There are also references to the equallycomplicated relationships with their father (who probably murderedtheir mother). The realistic portrayal of these relationships is whatdrives this movie, bolstered by the outstanding performances of theactors. Sutherland is powerful as a dying man who is terrified andshows it by his alternating pleas for help and outbursts of anger atbeing helpless. Sedgwick is equally good as the sister who is cowed byher brother but trying to piece together the past and find resolutionto the situation. The writer/director dedicated the film to "my brotherRoy" and one wonders if this is the reason the film rings so true.

Rogue-32 2012-05-03 18:48:39

Kiefer and Kyra make this work

Behind the Red Door features two wonderful, nuanced performances fromKieferand Kyra, who make us believe they are actually brother and sister - amajorachievement in itself. The film has a very haunted atmosphere thatthickensand deepens as the story progresses; ultimately it's a heart-feltexperience, one that rings true in a quiet, subtle way.

danny maniac 2012-04-30 18:46:37

Quite interesting..

Well,I've been a big K.Sutherland fan for quite some time now and i amsurprised that i missed this movie.Hadn't watched it so got it from afriend and watched it.I have to say that i was not expecting this kindof movie from him,Hats off to all the people involved in the making ofthe movie.The writer did a great job,then the direction was good,Actorswere all terrific and the movie was able to create such a sweet dramathat it kept me at the edge of my seat.Absolutely recommended to all K.Sutherland fans and to all those wholike serious drama with good acting.I just have to say that i am alittle disappointed to see the rating of this movie.It is absolutelyunder- rated..

2012-04-30 01:17:11

Red Door

This review is from: Behind the Red Door (DVD) This film was recommended to me by some members on the 24 fan site. I had never heard of it and was curious to see how Kiefer would pull off playing a gay man. His portral is priceless to say the least. "Roy" is very rich, very selfish and very sick. First contact with his astranged sister is difficult for both of them. This is a fantastic portrayal of a brother and sister who have loved and needed each other, then hated each other, then work their way back again. The commentaries on the disc are revealing and personal. I'm very glad to have spent the money on this film.

George Parker 2012-04-29 07:13:13

A jewel in a lackluster crown of tv movies

"Behind the Red Door" tells of a woman (Sedgwick) who visits her estrangedbrother (Sutherland) only to learn he is dying. Much more than justanother"dying" flick and a surprisingly fine film for a director with such ashortresume, "...Red Door" wrings powerful performances from the pair of leads,avoids the usual lugubrious tear-jerking, shows solid cinematic style andartistry, and ends on a deeply profound note. Most of all, "...Red Door"fills its emotional landscape with the most beautiful of all elements -reality. An intelligently wrought flick which should be a well received byrealists and sentimentalists alike. (A-)

Nobelia 2012-04-28 11:54:57

Great Drama.

This Movie is one of the best Dramas I've ever seen, absolutelywonderful.I was crying the whole time.Kiefer gave a brilliant performance as Roy, Kyra as well.Great chemistry between these two..It's a must see! Highly recommended.

mlaura_noel 2012-04-27 17:07:23

My comments

Very good movie!!!!!Great performance by Kiefer Sutherland!!!...Wonderful cast!!Such a beautiful story!

2012-04-27 02:59:17

hallmark/ lifetime illness-of-the-week schlock

Pauline Kael famously barbed that she might have been able to conjure empathethic tears for Bette Davis in DARK VICTORY if it weren't for the fact that the terminally ill Judith so nobly surrendered up such a posh-elegant life in such a posh-elegant setting. In kind, the terminally ill protagonist of BEHIND THE RED DOOR collapses in a bathroom the size of an enviably vast studio apartment--posh-elgant gold faucets and all. If ya gotta go, then die young, pretty, and rich.The positive components of this movie are the cinematography of beautiful landscapes on diamond-sharp film stock, Kiefer Sutherland channeling his real-life father's best acting tics, and ... well, that's about it. Stockard Channing looks young and attractive and not over-the-top brassy in the Audrey Meadows/ Eve Arden role of tough best friend, and the rest of a capable cast at times raise their paper-thin characters to two-dimensionality. But the negatives include a self-serving screenplay, a muddled Daddy Dearest subplot that spins its wheels in redundant but non-advancing flashbacks and is not adequately resolved, and a heroine continually playing second banana to her own Medusan hairdo--the worst cocker spaniel coif since Daryl Hannah's flat curls in the drab remake of REAR WINDOW."No one really wants to be alone," a dying man intones somberly, though it's likely that ANYONE would prefer dying alone rather than be subjected to the nearly psychotic, solipsistic drivel this poor soul must endure in the climactic deathbed scene. A major flaw in the script misses what might have been a moment of genuine interest. When the heroine is splashed with contaminated blood, she assures the doctor that she's safe because she has no open cuts. But in the first scene of the movie she stabs her own finger at the mere hint of her brother's existence. The self-stabbing was intended only as a a "visual" externalization, a disturbed sibling's metaphor rather than an actual aspect of a sustained character over the arc of a coherent plot. Convenient for the exposition but too complicated for the film's "third act," so we're expected to accept the sister's short-term lapse of memory: this is the kind of pretty-suffering movie where an audience's short-term memory is expected, demanded, and a blessing.Sutherland plays "Roy," a man of limitless wealth, whose sister's principles keep her poor but pure. By movie's end, as each breath brings him closer toward death, Roy morphs from egotistical tyrant into a beatified saint spouting sputums of precious wisdom, while the script transforms Sis into self-satisfied Rod McKuen greeting card. Should we be surprised to learn that the film was produced, written, and directed by a woman whose now deceased brother's name was ... Roy?Evidently the real-life Roy bequeathed his real-life limitless wealth to his real-life sister, enabling her to make this visually stunning but egocentricly shallow fortune cookie of a movie. Real-life Roy's real-life sister was so real-life wealthy and nobly grieving, it appears, that she defied anyone else associated with the production to cool her jets and make the tribute to her brother she hoped but failed to achieve.

res0rrpftexas 2012-04-26 01:48:54

Not Alone in Review

I'm glad to see other peoples' review are like mine. I don't think enoughpeople have seen this movie. It was great drama, Kiefer Sutherland'sperformance as a dying man - forcing a reconciliation with his sister,waswonderful. He always play tough so well, naturally he would be good asthisforceful ad designer perfectionist who happens to be gay and has aids.Whata complex character, he played it so well.All the characters were realistic, you feel something for all of them. Ihighly recommend this to anyone who is interested in complex yet simplestory that reminds us how important family relationships are no matterhowdysfunctional it may seem.

erised22-1 2012-04-25 06:35:46

A dying man must make amends with his estranged sister.

When I first saw this movie, I was amazed to see the chemistry betweenSutherland and Sedgwick. Every line that Sutherland said was perfect andhis manurisms were that of a dying, gay man. I was really surprised toSedgwick give her all in this role as Natalie.Every line in this movie wasdelivered perfectly and all of the actors were outstanding! A must seeflick! A++++!

2012-04-23 08:05:35

I was stunned!!!!

I can count, on one hand, the number of movies that have left me with nothing more to say than WOW!!!! Keifer Sutherland's performance was not only impressive but I was totally stunned at his ability. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen! A definate recommend to all; and a must for my VERY SELECT collection of DVD's. I think Keifer Sutherland will finally come into his own if he can continue with quality roles like this.

stickboy87 2012-04-23 00:15:31

Sutherland's excellent acting saves an otherwise below-par film

"Behind The Red Door" is a film I picked up for two reasons: there wasnothing else in, and Kiefer Sutherland, in my opinion, is the greatestunder-rated actor today. The film starts off slowly, and doesn't reallypick up. Natalie (Kyra Sedgwick) plays Kiefer's estranged sister. Infact, the two haven't seen each other in ten years. They are broughttogether due to Roy's (Kiefer Sutherland) sickness. The sickness isn'tmentioned in the film, but because Roy is homosexual, we are brought tothe conclusion that it is probably AIDS. Roy asks (or, rather demands)that Natalie be his nurse, as he does not want to die surrounded bystrangers. To make things slightly more complicated, Natalie isstarting to remember long-lost memories from her past about the deathof her mother, and her abusive father, whom she believes killed her. Fans of the adrenaline-pumped drama "24" will be amazed at the actingskills of Kiefer. In "24", he plays an Anti-Terrorist Agent with ashort temper, but in "Behind The Red Door", he plays an obvioushomosexual, and the performance is BELIEVABLE. There are some scenesthat might bring a tear or two to your eye, the most notable being aclose up of Roy when he starts to cry. "Behind The Red Door" wasn't thegreatest film, the director wasn't very good, the editing was terrible,and the soundtrack sometimes didn't suit the mood of the film, butKiefer's Oscar-worthy performance (if this film was directed by awell-known director, and was publicly well-known at the time ofrelease, Kiefer would've been nominated) saves the film. You start tocare about Roy, you feel that he's an actual person, and you feel deepsympathy for him. If you're going to pick this film up for anything,let it be Sutherland's performance. Otherwise, pick something else up.