Time Out Of Mind | Oren Moverman | NYFF 2014
As someone who is constantly in and out of New York City, Time Out Of Mind does hit rather close to home. Last year New York saw record highs in its homeless population, a staggering statistic that’s hard to ignore. Yet, when it comes to the homeless, that’s what we do. Ignore. Oren Moverman’s Time Out Of Mind gives us a look at homelessness that is up close and personal, in a way that’s not possible to ignore.
Our protagonist is a homeless man named George played by Richard Gere. The well-known actor really did hit the streets of New York looking acting like a real homeless person, panhandling for loose change. Moverman and his team filmed from afar, capturing footage of New Yorkers passing right by Gere, not seeing the famous actor, but instead seeing yet another homeless man begging on the streets. This dedication to the role gives Time Out Of Mind a raw feeling of authenticity, which works heavily in its favor.
When we first meet George, he gets kicked out of a house that he’s found squatting in. From there he’s bouncing around wherever he can spend the night. Sometimes it’s on a bench, sometimes it’s in a subway car. He spends some time in a homeless shelter where he meets an interesting character named Dixon played fantastically by Ben Vereen. Although he’s provided with a warm bed and a hot meal, there a strict rules at the shelters that George just doesn’t want to follow. He tries to get some help along the way, but it’s hard when you have no steady address or proof of ID of any kind.
You start feel sympathy for the man, but become frustrated when he sells his winter coat in order to supply his alcoholic drinking habits. You can understand why his daughter Maggie, played by Jena Malone, wants nothing to do with him. She’s all he has, but he relies to heavily on the drink, isolating him further within himself.
Time Out Of Mind rests on the shoulders of Richard Gere’s performance. He fully dives into the role, and gives a heartbreaking performance. The story does meander a bit, and fails to captivate in the way it should, but Gere alone is enough to make this a emotional viewing that will make you think twice the next time you ignore a homeless person asking for your help on the street.
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