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Simply A Masterpiece

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Terence Davies followed his masterpiece debut Distant Voices, Still Lives with The Long Day Closes, a meditation on his adolescence. It follows a very similar style with a series of surreal but verite vignettes of 1950s life mixed with familiar songs. It's more polished than Distant Voices, often having some incredibly impressive camera moves, but with removing that grime comes its downfall. The film lacks vital drama. Even with Distant Voices' scattered scenes, there's conflict in every one of them. The suffering in The Long Day Closes seems internal or invisible and it's difficult for the film to communicate its intense feelings through the characters and atmosphere. While some delightful contrasts are made between home, school and cinema, the solace of the movies don't have their impact without a reason to need them. Perhaps the film should've steered far away from Distant Voices' style as it feels like a watered down version, revealing too much and saying too little. However, its intricate production and sensitive aesthetic make it a worthwhile if overly subdued viewing. I hope Davies' other films are more satisfying.7/10

A sad and lonely boy, Bud (Leigh McCormack) struggles through his days. With cinema as his main source of solace, he haunts the local movie-house. All the while, his family looms large in our peripheral vision as do the menacing bullies of his school, but Bud is the center of attention both from the camera's angle and from his doting family.This is a love letter to film, with plenty of classic film references and an endless soundtrack of classic music. The story itself is not important, other than for us to realize that movies offer us an escape no matter how dreary our lives may be.Most of us, thankfully, do not live as sad an existence as Bud. But most of us love movies to a greater or lesser degree and have a favorite that we can dive into when times are bad.

The story is about an 11 year old boy who grows up in post-war Liverpool, coping with bullying at school, regularly going to the cinema and taking part in family life.The Long Day Closes is a genuine British masterpiece, a film in love with films and the sense of release and escape they can bring to mundane lives. Director Terence Davies re-creates in painterly detail the daily life of his 11 year old hero, and the specific time, when Britain was moving gradually away from post-war austerity and ration books, and daring to look forward to a more hopeful future. Bud's love affair with Hollywood, and the evocative, romantic pop songs that flood his house, function as more than mere nostalgia; they are formative sights and sounds in a young life. This understated but deeply emotional film captures its era with a melancholy affection. It was entered into the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

"The Long Day Closes" has the kind of emotional impact that the Hollywood bunch could only dream about. There is very little in the way of plot--just a series of memories, as if a family photo album had come to life: like the family at Christmas time. No forced, artificial story lines, like Mama's Dying and We Gotta Pay the Rent--just a perfect rendering of a certain family at a certain time. If you're expecting some sappy tear-jerker, oh boy, do you have the wrong movie. The images here are so powerful, the use of music and old film dialog is so effective. I feel sorry for people who found this movie boring. You obviously didn't get it. Your loss.