When I go see a movie, or rent it, I am always hoping for a transcendent experience. I am happy enough to be entertained, but when a movie really moves me I am truly grateful. The White River Kid really moves me. It is truly transcendent. Someone once commented to Matisse that a painting of his, with a lady as it's subject, did not look like a lady at all. Matisse pointed out that the object in question, his creation, was NOT a lady- it was a painting. Movies are a form of art. A movie is a movie. Movies are at their best when they cannot be said to be in any way "realistic." So called "reality" surrounds us. It is, in fact, only perception, and actually no more "real" than is a movie. But a movie should be something altogether different than what we call "reality." It ought to offer an alternative, and equally valid, reality. This is what "White River Kid" does with unsurpassed excellence. It is touching, soaringly entertaining, uplifting, warming, encouraging, healing, and relieving. Having seen it, one's outlook is permanently altered in a small way. This is the hallmark of a great movie.
Review of The White River Kid
