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Neverwas....
Jul. 31st, 2013 05:12 pmI may perhaps be in the minority, but I'd never heard of a film called Neverwas (imdb, wikipedia). A 2005 English film, filmed in Vanconver BC and Toronto, which debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in 2005 but never had a theatrical release and finally went straight to DVD in 2007.
Look at who is in this: Ian McKellan, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, William Hurt. Short blurb from IMDB: A well-educated psychiatrist leaves an academic career to work at an institution where his father, a novelist, lived before writing a renowned children's book. Acclimating to his position, he encounters a schizophrenic who helps him to discover the book's secrets and his place in the story.
I discovered the film when someone on a INFP FB site recommended it (yes, I'm an INFP.) Someone was looking for Netflix films that would appeal to INFPs. This was one of two that came highly recommended. I looked up the description and the few reviews I could find of it and, honestly, had I just read those alone I likely would not have watched the film. Although Ian McKellan may have swayed me in any case. I bookmarked it for a time when I need an escapist distraction.
Today was such a day.
Let me just say that I was enchanted. Thoroughly. In fact I had this very weird sense of deja vu why watching it. It triggered some interesting sense flashbacks to my childhood. Odd sense flashbacks. Brief images. Smells. Fragments of childhood experiences. Gave me goosebumps a couple of times (those deja vu moments).
I should warn that the film does deal with mental illness (the protagonist is a psychiatrist working in a mental institution) and suicide (in the past). But, as described by someone who worked on the film: "Fantasy and Reality in a magical enchantment-filled life-affirming Tale."
And my "everything is SPN" bone was tickled as I clearly recognized Riverview as the location used for a significant number of scenes:
above :: this photo was taken by someone who worked on the film. I found his site which has a LOT of photos of sets he helped to build/design.
A lot for Battlestar Galactica. Great stuff. I wish he offered more text about the images though.
The "stairway" that is seen in so many movies & tv shows from Riverview also makes an appearance (of course). As does the main front entrance.
And there was one scene, filmed at night in Ian McKellan's bedroom at Riverview that just took my breath away. It reminded me somehow of a combination of a Andrew Wyeth painting combined with a Van Gogh. The photographer in me just wanted to get to that place and take photos myself. Loved what they did with the window.
Here are my screen shots of that scene:( screen shots... )
For me this is a film I could see myself watching again and again over the years. Like "What Dreams May Come". Every few years I could see myself wanting to revisit this little gem. Below are some random images I found online from the film. There really is not much out there about it.
The film is available for streaming on Netflix. Here are some images I found online for it.
Look at who is in this: Ian McKellan, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, William Hurt. Short blurb from IMDB: A well-educated psychiatrist leaves an academic career to work at an institution where his father, a novelist, lived before writing a renowned children's book. Acclimating to his position, he encounters a schizophrenic who helps him to discover the book's secrets and his place in the story.
I discovered the film when someone on a INFP FB site recommended it (yes, I'm an INFP.) Someone was looking for Netflix films that would appeal to INFPs. This was one of two that came highly recommended. I looked up the description and the few reviews I could find of it and, honestly, had I just read those alone I likely would not have watched the film. Although Ian McKellan may have swayed me in any case. I bookmarked it for a time when I need an escapist distraction.
Today was such a day.
Let me just say that I was enchanted. Thoroughly. In fact I had this very weird sense of deja vu why watching it. It triggered some interesting sense flashbacks to my childhood. Odd sense flashbacks. Brief images. Smells. Fragments of childhood experiences. Gave me goosebumps a couple of times (those deja vu moments).
I should warn that the film does deal with mental illness (the protagonist is a psychiatrist working in a mental institution) and suicide (in the past). But, as described by someone who worked on the film: "Fantasy and Reality in a magical enchantment-filled life-affirming Tale."
And my "everything is SPN" bone was tickled as I clearly recognized Riverview as the location used for a significant number of scenes:
.♢.
above :: this photo was taken by someone who worked on the film. I found his site which has a LOT of photos of sets he helped to build/design.
A lot for Battlestar Galactica. Great stuff. I wish he offered more text about the images though.
The "stairway" that is seen in so many movies & tv shows from Riverview also makes an appearance (of course). As does the main front entrance.
And there was one scene, filmed at night in Ian McKellan's bedroom at Riverview that just took my breath away. It reminded me somehow of a combination of a Andrew Wyeth painting combined with a Van Gogh. The photographer in me just wanted to get to that place and take photos myself. Loved what they did with the window.
Here are my screen shots of that scene:
For me this is a film I could see myself watching again and again over the years. Like "What Dreams May Come". Every few years I could see myself wanting to revisit this little gem. Below are some random images I found online from the film. There really is not much out there about it.
The film is available for streaming on Netflix. Here are some images I found online for it.
.♢.
( Neverwas screen shots.... )╚══════.♢.═╝
