Rating: 
Summary: Better then expected
Review: Levity is a film dealing with a man seeking redemption after serving over 20 years in prison for a murder he committed as a teenager. It was first aired at the 2003 Sundance Film festival and deserves a MUCH larger audience then it will most likely get.OK, so I went to see this movie because I am a fan of Kirsten Dunst, but she does not disappoint here, playing a role not too unlike that of Nicole Oakley in Crazy/Beautiful. As Sofia, Kirsten's character is generally lost and spaced out, yet in her smile you can see a bit of Kirsten herself, something I have noticed in all the roles I have seen her in to date. Sofia may be spacey, but she is NOT an airhead, unlike most of the roles Kirsten has played to date (At times I wonder if she is one herself.) However, she is not the main character, and not the only good thing about this film. Billy Bob Thornton plays Manual the main character who seeks to help people by working at a drop in center/soup kitchen. He encounters a woman (Holly Hunter) who is the sister of the man he murdered, and a preacher (Morgan Freeman) who runs the center he works at. A few surprising plot twists including an encounter with Ms. Hunter's son (Geoffrey Wigdor) who may end up killing someone himself after being shot at make this an interesting film. One thing I have noticed is that conservative newspapers seem to give this film a positive review,while liberal newspapers and magazines seem to give it a negative review. One thing I really enjoyed is the film's strong positive message dealing with redemptions. It was quite uplifting and despite its "R" rating, it would find a home within a Christian film festival. I was glad I was able to see it in a theatre.
Rating:
Summary: Chamber Music
Review: LEVITY is a very quiet little sleeper of a movie. Written and directed by Ed Solomon it is a theme and variations on seeking redemption. A convict who accepts the punishment of life imprisonment for his murder of a young man in a fast food store 22 years prior is abruptly released by a prison board who decide that his exceptional prison behaviour merits his sentence being commuted. Suddenly thrust from his cell and accepted destiny back into the world where his crime occurred, the man's only drive is to find the sister of his vistim and make amends for his crime. He walks (somnolently, accompanied by the recurring ghost vision of his victim) thru the dark alleys of some unidentified wintry city, encounters a black 'minister/soup kitchen man', accepts employment as a custodian, and becomes involved with the minister's attempt to salvage the night clubbers who do drugs etc, falling into the chasm of despair from where the convict has history. His presence in this setting has some positive effects on the lost ones' lives. He finds the sister of the man he murdered and in attempting to make things right, saves her teenage son from his vendetta for revenge of his attempted murder. Gestures are made, things work out and other things do't work out: we are left without knowing the true results of these attempts at redemption. The cast includes extraordinarily subdued and subtle performances by Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, and Kirsten Dunst. The smarmy underbelly of a city is captured authentically and artistcially by the cinematographer, and the director paces this quiet, inward tale with a sense of a death march. Though there is no classical music reference made there is a strong resemblance to the mood and metier of the Shostakovich 15th String Quartet. And as 'chamber music' this fine little film will bear revisiting.
Rating:
Summary: Chamber Music
Review: LEVITY is a very quiet little sleeper of a movie. Written and directed by Ed Solomon it is a theme and variations on seeking redemption. A convict who accepts the punishment of life imprisonment for his murder of a young man in a fast food store 22 years prior is abruptly released by a prison board who decide that his exceptional prison behaviour merits his sentence being commuted. Suddenly thrust from his cell and accepted destiny back into the world where his crime occurred, the man's only drive is to find the sister of his vistim and make amends for his crime. He walks (somnolently, accompanied by the recurring ghost vision of his victim) thru the dark alleys of some unidentified wintry city, encounters a black 'minister/soup kitchen man', accepts employment as a custodian, and becomes involved with the minister's attempt to salvage the night clubbers who do drugs etc, falling into the chasm of despair from where the convict has history. His presence in this setting has some positive effects on the lost ones' lives. He finds the sister of the man he murdered and in attempting to make things right, saves her teenage son from his vendetta for revenge of his attempted murder. Gestures are made, things work out and other things do't work out: we are left without knowing the true results of these attempts at redemption. The cast includes extraordinarily subdued and subtle performances by Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, and Kirsten Dunst. The smarmy underbelly of a city is captured authentically and artistcially by the cinematographer, and the director paces this quiet, inward tale with a sense of a death march. Though there is no classical music reference made there is a strong resemblance to the mood and metier of the Shostakovich 15th String Quartet. And as 'chamber music' this fine little film will bear revisiting.
Rating: 
Summary: Tonight's lesson: trying to make amends when you cannot
Review: Manual Jordan (Billy Bob Thornton) has been sitting in a prison cell for 23 years, where the only decoration is a newspaper photograph of the teenager he killed in a convenience store robbery. In voice over he tells us about a book written in the 11th century that argues there are five steps necessary to make amends: acknowledge what you did, feel remorse, make right what you did wrong, then make it right with God, and then you can be redeemed. But Jordan knows he cannot bring back Abner Easley and does not believe "in some God that's gonna open His arms to me even if I did." That takes care of steps three and four, and since we can never be in the same place twice, Jordan knows he will never be redeemed. So he has accepted his place in prison and is surprised when his sentence is commuted to time served and he is thrown back in the world. Even though he knows it is hopeless, Jordan wants to atone for his horrible crime.
"Levity" is about a man who wants to be forgiven although he will never be able to forgive himself. We want to feel compassion for Jordan, but we know that he is probably right and that he is never going to be able to attain redemption. But writer-director Ed Solomon, who has his own cross to bear as the co-writer of "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" does not really return Jordan to the real world. Instead the ex-con finds himself in strange almost dreamlike world where answering a pay phone in the middle of the night gets you a job and a place to stay at a mission that operates across the street from a nightclub. The place is run by Miles Evans (Morgan Freeman), an eccentric preacher, who allows kids to park for free at his lot if they come in and sit for 15 minutes while he preaches at them. Jordan's job is to stand out in the cold and get the kids to sign in with their names and time of arrival.
Of all the faceless kids who wander through each night one stands out, young Sofia Mellinger (Kirsten Dunst). She seems like a drug loving party girl, but Jordan sees somebody who is trying pretty hard to kill herself. However, Sofia is not his primary concern. That would be trying to get Adele Easley (Holly Hunter) to let him help her take her bags home. She, of course, is the sister of the boy he killed, who knows has a son named Abner who is essentially the same age as his namesake was 23 years earlier. Jordan is persistent enough without being too pushy, and his formal way of speaking and strange manner catches Adele's interest, although she is quick to point out that her standards have slipped over the years. However, Jordan is not looking for romance and that is only way of the things that he cannot tell Adele.
Evans has a pretty good idea of what Jordan is up to, especially after Adele calls the mission looking for somebody whose name she does not know. While the preacher agrees with Jordan that redemption is impossible, he also supports the idea that trying is not the worst of all possible fates. Besides, if he cannot save himself there is the possibility that Jordan might be able to save young Abner or Sofia. Beyond that there is the question of what will happen when Adele finds out Jordan's true identity, because you know that moment is going to come at a pivotal point in the story.
The performances in "Levity" are the most compelling part of the film, which is hardly surprising given you have Thornton, Freeman and Hunter in the three key roles. Dunst is a bit outclassed but then her character is not written at the same level; her strong point is the way she can hold her own in verbal sparing with the juvenile delinquents who are sent to the mission to hear first Evans and then Jordan talk to them. Mostly this movie is a series of scenes between Jordan and the other three characters, as well as with young Abner (Geoffrey Wigdor). Thornton, who is always looking or different ways to play every one of his characters, is going for a level of subtlety here that is a shade short of complete inertia. Yet, for the most part, it works.
Most certainly there will be those who will find "Levity" to be too preachy and that the ending might be too contrived. But this is a film that has an appropriately subdued notion of what should constitute a happy ending under these tragic circumstances. Ultimately, its biggest problem could well be that the point is made early on in the film. Jordan has accepted his fate as being well deserved and despite the fact that he cannot change anything or find peace, he tries to do something anyway. By that standard how well he succeeds does not matter because that would not be the point of the lesson. If you understand that, then you may well find most of this 2003 drama to be superfluous.
Rating:
Summary: The direction of choices & regrets...
Review: Manuel Jordan (Billy Bob Thornton) is unexpectedly released from prison after having been incarcerated for two decades for murder, which he solemnly regrets committing. Free and moving Manuel stops frequently to contemplate his current actions and choices as he reflects on his juvenile mistake that he committed in a small convenient store some twenty years ago. By choice, based on repent, he ends up in the neighborhood where he committed the murder and by chance he ends up getting a small job as a janitor in a half-way home. Through his job and leisure time he does everything he can do in order to repent for his past crime. Manuel seeks up the sister (Holly Hunter) of the young adult that he killed, since he wants to display his regret of his crime. Levity is a film that gives the audience a chance to reflect on daily decisions and actions as we affect others continuously. Manuel's pondering is displayed with thoughtful cinematography and supported through a well written script, which leaves the audience with a decent cinematic experience.
Rating:
Summary: The direction of choices & regrets...
Review: Manuel Jordan (Billy Bob Thornton) is unexpectedly released from prison after having been incarcerated for two decades for murder, which he solemnly regrets committing. Free and moving Manuel stops frequently to contemplate his current actions and choices as he reflects on his juvenile mistake that he committed in a small convenient store some twenty years ago. By choice, based on repent, he ends up in the neighborhood where he committed the murder and by chance he ends up getting a small job as a janitor in a half-way home. Through his job and leisure time he does everything he can do in order to repent for his past crime. Manuel seeks up the sister (Holly Hunter) of the young adult that he killed, since he wants to display his regret of his crime. Levity is a film that gives the audience a chance to reflect on daily decisions and actions as we affect others continuously. Manuel's pondering is displayed with thoughtful cinematography and supported through a well written script, which leaves the audience with a decent cinematic experience.
Rating:
Summary: MURDER AND ATONEMENT
Review: New on DVD (August, 03), this overlooked, exceptional film strikes an emotional chord with universal truths.
Based on real events, LEVITY (Columbia Tristar) stars Billy Bob Thornton as a convicted murderer paroled after serving 19 years in prison. Haunted by his spontaneous shooting of a store clerk in a failed robbery, he craves reconciliation and returns to his old inner-city neighborhood where he encounters a troubled woman (Kirsten Dunst), a mysterious street preacher (Morgan freeman) and the sister (Holly Hunter) of the boy he killed. It's rare that a movie tackles such difficult themes of guilt, forgiveness, reconciliation and atonement with such insight, grace and intelligence.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept. Excellent acting. Depressing story.
Review: The word "levity" is supposed to mean "lightness", but there is certainly nothing light about this stark drama which deals with sin and redemption. Billy Bob Thornton is cast as a troubled man who has just been released from prison for killing a convenience store clerk in a botched robbery 23 years before. He plays the role with quiet stoicism, wears his graying hair shoulder length and speaks in a gentle voice as he returns to the neighborhood where the crime was committed. Here, he meets Morgan Freeman, a storefront preacher with a secret of his own, and he's given a job as custodian of the place. Kristin Durst is one of the lost young people who he comes in contact with, and in his own simple way, he seems to be making a difference in her life. The person he has come here to meet, however, is the sister of the young man who he had murdered. Holly Hunter is cast in this role and they start to develop a deep friendship, especially when her son gets in trouble and Billy Bob Thornton comes to his aid. There's a sadness and melancholy to the entire film, which is set on cold dreary winter streets. It's slow, bleak and rather creepy, especially when the hero is visited over and over again by the apparition of the young man who he has murdered. I found the concept interesting, the acting excellent and the story sad and depressing. And yet, it was a fine film.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting concept. Excellent acting. Depressing story.
Review: The word "levity" is supposed to mean "lightness", but there is certainly nothing light about this stark drama which deals with sin and redemption. Billy Bob Thornton is cast as a troubled man who has just been released from prison for killing a convenience store clerk in a botched robbery 23 years before. He plays the role with quiet stoicism, wears his graying hair shoulder length and speaks in a gentle voice as he returns to the neighborhood where the crime was committed. Here, he meets Morgan Freeman, a storefront preacher with a secret of his own, and he's given a job as custodian of the place. Kristin Durst is one of the lost young people who he comes in contact with, and in his own simple way, he seems to be making a difference in her life. The person he has come here to meet, however, is the sister of the young man who he had murdered. Holly Hunter is cast in this role and they start to develop a deep friendship, especially when her son gets in trouble and Billy Bob Thornton comes to his aid. There's a sadness and melancholy to the entire film, which is set on cold dreary winter streets. It's slow, bleak and rather creepy, especially when the hero is visited over and over again by the apparition of the young man who he has murdered. I found the concept interesting, the acting excellent and the story sad and depressing. And yet, it was a fine film.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE 5 BEST MOVIES OF 2003
Review: This film is what's known as a sleeper. It was basically disregarded when it came out theatrically, but what a great movie!!! The lead performances are all Oscar worthy! The cinematography by Roger Deakins is visually poetic, a series of contemporary paintings in motion. I've never seen this type of "urban" beauty in a long time. See for yourself and enjoy the subtle imagery. It's awesome. This is a movie that says so much, it stays with you long after you've seen it. It deals with issues about the past; how difficult it can be to deal with guilt; the resignations that one must often make when things we regret cannot be changed; and how through good (and love) evil is conquered. It's a very spiritual film in many ways. I loved it, and I think that most people will appreciate it also. It's not the type of banal garbage Hollywood keeps pumping out. This is a sedate, intelligent, and enormously entertaining film. I applaud whoever had the good taste to finance it! It's simply and unpretentiously wonderful.
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