REVIEW: Time Out of Mind

Courtesy of  IFC Films

(Now playing in limited release and VOD.)

Filmmaker Oren Moverman is no stranger to tackling difficult subject matter, considering his previous films focused on the Iraq war and police corruption. Now, with Time Out of Mind, he tackles the plight of homelessness in America.

I can’t imagine mainstream audiences will connect with the film at all – it’s practically an endurance challenge – but those who like to approach their movies with an analytical eye or study the specifics of acting will find plenty to appreciate. Above all, Richard Gere’s intense, heartbreaking performance makes it worth a watch. His work made me reevaluate my opinion of him as an actor.

Gere (who sheds every bit of sophistication we remember from Pretty Woman or Primal Fear) plays George, a confused, mostly quiet man who we first meet as he’s sleeping in the bathtub of a New York City slum. The maintenance guy kicks him out (not for the first time) and he’s forced to wander the streets until he finds new digs.

Over the course of the film, George frequently attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Jena Malone, wonderful) and finds temporary refuge at a men’s shelter, where he ends up befriending a fellow homeless man (the brilliant Ben Vereen). That’s basically the entire plot.

Time Out of Mind is probably a film that most viewers will respect more than enjoy. Every moment of its (far too long) two-hour running time feels like homework. The deliberately slow pacing allows the audience to realistically experience the mundane indignities of George’s life, but that choice means Moverman risks losing viewers before the minimal plot actually kicks in at the one-hour mark.

Until then, the movie is literally Gere’s character wandering the streets of New York, looking for scraps of food, a place to rest and money to buy beer. However, the actor managed to keep my admittedly waning attention in how he communicates much of George’s nonspecific backstory. He often speaks quietly to himself, almost mumbling, and he frequently shakes his head as if to clear cobwebs.

That behavior, combined with the prominent scar on his temple, suggests mental illness or possible head trauma. It’s really all we get, but it’s enough to make viewers think harder about his drinking problem and his strained relationship with his daughter. It helps that Gere’s performance is astounding, and that he’s surrounded by other strong performers like Vereen, Malone and several more familiar faces in tiny roles, including Steve Buscemi, Michael Kenneth Williams and Kyra Sedgwick.

Moverman approaches the material with some intriguing decisions that contribute to the film’s overall message. He almost exclusively uses ambient sound, meaning some conversations with primary characters are intentionally hard to hear while strangers on the street come across much louder. He also shoots most of the movie through windows or doorways with long lenses, meaning viewers are purposefully isolated from George, further contributing to his alienation.

This also means when Gere’s character asks passersby for spare change, those are real New Yorkers ignoring him. It’s a brilliant choice that shows how intent we are on ignoring homeless people: we don’t even notice when he’s a famous actor.

These elements make Time Out of Mind interesting to watch from an artistic standpoint and the message is an important one. It has earned film critics’ admiration and it might be a required text in university sociology classes soon, but casual viewers will probably want to stay away.

Time Out of Mind is not rated, but contains strong language.

Grade: B-