This is going to be one of those movies I can’t easily recommend to people even though I really enjoyed it because I think my enjoyment of it might be fairly subjective and difficult to convey.

I loved the flotsam and jellyfish line too!

By the way, does anyone know anything about Sarah Adler? I’ve never found less biographical information on an actress, ever, beyond that she appears to be an American.

Here I felt like I was discovering the film for myself, which I think is key given this kind of moody, atmospheric piece of cinema. The comparisons to LIT are unquestionable, but I ended up liking this one much, much, much more than Coppola’s.

“Oh, I like that thought! I definitely caught whiffs of that between Batia and the little girl, but I think you may be dead on with the bride and the writer, especially considering the symmetry of their poems/suicide notes. And, you know what? You could make the same parallel true for joy. She is on the road to becoming estranged from her son (who is back in the Philippines), and she is working with an elderly woman who is completely estranged from her adult daughter. Joy and the crotchety old woman are the same person at different stages as well.”

I think that is spot on, and it makes me love the film even more.

I also agree with KB that the Filipina storyline wasn’t terribly interesting, at least compared to the others.

Sarah Adler was perfect for her part, as Fox mentions. Didn’t require a ton of acting range, but her quiet demeanor was what was needed.

I was actually going to write a “Taking It Home” review about Jellyfish, but it just didn’t come together in my head and I lazily gave up instead of really sitting down and hammering it out. It’ll be interesting to hear what others think as more people see it.

I also found the image of Batia underneath the roof one that lingered in my head after the film was over. That actress is gorgeous. The camera just loves her.