Directed by : Michael Polish
Written by: Michael and Mark Polish
Starring: James Woods (Walter O'Brien), Nick Nolte (Father Harlan), Douglas Sebern (Mayor), Claire Forlani (Mrs. Hadfield), Duel Farnes (Irwin), Mark Polish (Willis O'Brien), Daryl Hannah (Flower Hercules), Graham Beckel (Marvin), Josh Barker (Matt, as Joshuin Barker), Peter Coyote (Eddie), Jon Gries (Arnold), Rick Overton (Rudolph), Robin Sachs (Cup of Tea), Ben Foster (Cod), Anthony Edwards (Happy)
Original Music: Stuart Matthewman
Cinematography: M. David Mullen
Northfork is a film about a small Montana town in the 1950's. The government has just completed a new dam, which, when filled, will submerge the town and the countryside surrounding it. As the final hours tick away before the dam starts holding back water, residents of the town and farmlands surrounding it continue to file out, personal belongings tied down to the roofs and sides of their pickup trucks and cars. The exodus echoes of the depression-stricken residents leaving Oklahoma in The Grapes of Wrath. Walter O’Brien (James Woods) and his eldest son Willis (Mark Polish), along with three other father and sons pairs, have been hired by the government to help relocate 64 residents that are refusing to leave. Each father and son pair is assigned to be the caretaker of 16 families. If these men, (who were fashioned to look and act like salesmen and Mormon missionaries), get all 16 to leave, they are given a large parcel of land on higher ground. As they go about their jobs, we sense their animosity toward the government for their dam project and how it has caused the death of a community. It has uprooted families who had lived there their whole lives; it was splitting up lifelong friendships; most disturbing was the fact that many were forced to dig up the graves of their loved ones and move them elsewhere. The O’Briens were faced with this very unsettling task. Their story is mildly comical amidst unique encounters, one that includes visiting a man who has built an ark and who has two wives.
The companion story is about a young orphan boy by the name of Irwin. Irwin is dying. We first see him lying in the back seat of a car; he is sickly. The couple that has adopted are in the act of returning him to the orphanage. Irwin is too sick, they say to Father Harlan (Nick Nolte), there’s no way we can give him the care that he needs or requires.
Father Harlan takes him in and cares for him until Irwin passes on.
While Irwin is conscious, Father Harlan reads him comic books and the scriptures; he’s given him scientific glasses comprised of additional instruments such as magnifying lenses; he’s given him a toy metal airplane. Irwin’s dream is to fly.
Father Harlan also likes to tell Irwin that he is an angel, even showing Irwin white feathers that he has found growing behind Irwin’s ears. We know Irwin believes Father Harlan because when a couple come by to meet Irwin, to see if they want to adopt him, Irwin reminds Father Harlan as he is on his way to the parking lot to meet them "Tell them that I am an angel."
Irwin’s waking life is reflected in his unconsciousness, as he dreams that he finds a group of angels (played by Daryl Hannah, Robin Sachs, Ben Foster, and Anthony Edwards) who are looking for a lost angel. Irwin tries to convince them in numerous visits that he is the angel they are looking for. These scenes are intriguing and heartwarming. It is the foundation for a climactic scene in which Irwin dies.
Northfork indeed is an amazing film. The cinematography, even though simple, is a visual artistic achievement. I thought of the black and white photography of Ansel Adams while watching this film. If art is worth a thousand words, then these thousand words are arranged like poetry.
The script (written by Michael and Mark Polish), too, is amazingly unique. Irwin’s story is one of the most beautiful and memorable ones written for film. It lends insight into the minds of people who are dying and it reveals it in such an expansive, visionary way. It’s hard not to be touched or deeply affected by it, not to forget the equally intriguing story of the O’Briens that weaves throughout.
Northfork is like good literature; it’s sacred, like a lost testament of scripture about salvation, death, and life in Depression-era Western America.
Consider these closing lines from the finale. Father Harlan’s voice is heard as we see the emptied and cold landscapes of Northfork. He explains:
And in that journey of dying, you see many things. But all of the issues I had are past, because I was to be a witness, a helper. And that is the thing I think is important about death, is the ability for us to be witnesses, not only for a person coming in, but of going out. And that is what we have here–we’ve lost our time, it’s gone. But maybe there is a birth someplace else. Maybe there is a blessing from that experience. I’m no longer afraid of death; but it’s a lesson that has taken me sixty years to learn.
It was a pleasure to be a witness of this film. Northfork is one of the best films of 2003.
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