New Jerusalem had a lot
of dissatisfying components that ruined the film for me. It was very slow,
unconvincing and lacked a clear message.
Two men work together at a tire shop. Their lives connect when
Ike realizes that Sean may need some help. Back from the war in Afghanistan,
Sean is struggling to assimilate into a normal life. Ike, a strong willed evangelical, hopes to bond with his
coworker and save him from himself.
Really, New Jerusalem
was unbearably slow. There is little script and even less action. This does
give the actors a chance to act without having to spell things out, but somehow
it wasn't a good choice for this kind of story. I felt my mind begin to wander
with very little incentive bringing me back to the film.
I did like some of the interaction between our two leading men,
and do note that they seemed well cast. However I can't say that much of New Jerusalem was memorable. There were
few instances that gave the actors a chance to shine, and while they did to a
degree, it wasn't enough to save the film.
A lot of the film was self-reflection, and while that can work in
some circumstances I wasn't clear on where the film stood. It made me
uninterested and unaffected, two terrible adjectives when it comes to a film.
