A question from the lady in the burqa

In the Q&A after last night's screening of "The Ledge," director Matthew Chapman just couldn't wait for "the lady in the burqa" to ask a question. "C'mon! You've gotta have a question!" he said. I'm sure he was expecting something commending him for his brave portrayal of Evangelical fundamentalism and its violent consequences (notably that Liv Tyler and her lover have their lives threatened. He jumps off the ledge, she lives. He doesn't, she gets shot. )

But burqa lady did not take the bait. Maybe it was because she was wearing tight jeans, high heels, and a white headscarf. Maybe she thought there was actually some other burqa-clad woman in the 495 seat auditorium. Too bad for Mr Chapman and his burqa baiting. I'm sure it would have been a treat to witness a philosophic discussion on the merits of agnostic humanism.

Oh well, we'll have to content ourselves with the profundities in "The Ledge":

1. The loss of a loved one is tragic.
2. The universe is big.
3. Gays are often discriminated against.
4. Gravity hurts.
5. Liv Tyler has nice lips.

After exiting the movie, a fellow movie-goer told me that he chose to see "The Ledge" because his girlfriend said that if he didn't see it soon, someone might spoil it for him. Little did he know that that person would be the screenwriter and director.

Here's all you need to know about the plot:
A guy is on a ledge. He is supposed to jump before noon or else someone dies. It's, like 10:30 so that gives him just enough time to tell a detective (Terrance Howard) his story in a series of flashbacks, interrupted only by cell phone calls from the detective's wife wanting to explain why she got herself knocked up by his brother. "And then what happened?"
Who cares? Lots of improbable narrative and poorly written dialog, that's what.

Plenty of people liked the movie. But then, plenty of people are stupid.


- Posted from iPhone

Location:Sundance