Diane

The more adventurous or open-hearted may step into this film and find a kind of translucent everyday poetry.

The opening of Diane is simple but packed, like the movie: The more mundane the details, the more redolent it is of time going by too fast. Someone I know called it the most depressing film she’d ever seen. I found it one of the most exhilarating, but I admit that the exhilaration is hard-won and slightly perverse.

The resulting film feels highly personal, tender yet unsentimental.

It is a great pleasure to see actors who know how to use every bit of their real, unfixed faces to show the subtlest details of thought and emotion.

It’s a pinhole portrait of life on Earth; a non-judgmental story about trying to reconcile meaning with meaningless before the well runs dry and it rains again.

The reason Diane (the film) exists is not to propose and then solve a mystery, but to engage with Diane (the person).

In all this, there remains a purposeful if haphazardly realized design. As Diane’s relatives and friends continue to fall away with the passage of time, Jones intensifies the film’s discombobulating rhythms, taking Diane from hard-edged physicality to a more interiorized, subtly dreamlike haze.

Excellent performances- realistic and honest portrayals. Nice to see roles for actresses like Mary Kay Place.

A beautiful kind of movie that I sometimes feel like isn't made anymore, or at least rarely released. A quiet meditation through a series of life events. Mary Kay Place has almost always been great throughout her career, but rarely has she had the chance to play a role so front and center. She's extraordinary here. Almost anyone who sees this film will find something in it that applies to their own life or remind them of someone they love. I was incredibly moved by it. Without question the best film I've seen so far in this still young year.

This subtle, thoughtful little drama is rich in insight and symbolism, elevating a seemingly everyday tale to the height of inspired storytelling. Mary Kay Place gives an excellent performance in an uncharacteristic dramatic role, backed by a superb cast of supporting players that includes Andrea Martin, Estelle Parsons, Deirdre O'Connell and Jake Lacy. This one may not last long in theaters, so catch it while you have the chance -- you won't be disappointed.

This is a highly nuanced character study about a tired woman who keeps blaming herself for mistakes she did in her past. It is a story about aging, guilt, desire to amend the wrongs Diane did when she was young and a constant struggle to save her drugs-abusing son. She lives in a small town where everybody knows everybody. There are several interesting twists in the story, and a lot to discuss after. Performances are excellent, and the movie feels realistic. The script however is the weakest component of the movie and leaves you with a feeling of something unfinished.

The performances are terrific, and it's great to see an abundance of older female actors. I wish they'd been better served by the script, which is uneven. At times it works, but suffers from implausibility, confusing elements, and conflict choices that are unoriginal and - again - implausible as they play out. While I appreciate the opportunity for Mary Kay Place and her supporting cast, it made me wonder if the writer understands women as much as he thinks he does.