Not so lucky number 7 ...
It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the aftermath of a violent and tragic event has taken on new meaning in the wake of September 11. And so it is with a particular resonance that Rowan Woods brings us Winged Creatures.
A brutal shooting in a Los Angeles diner uproots the survivors, creating a profound and damaging ripple effect as each person struggles – in their own vastly fallible way – to come to terms with their trauma.
The result is a journey into various forms of obsession. The once perky waitress, Carla (Kate Beckinsale) becomes overwhelmed caring for her baby, and forms a compulsive attachment to Dr. Laraby (Guy Pierce), who himself succumbs to a dangerous hero complex with his wife (Embeth Davitz). While an already conflicted Charlie (Forrest Whitaker) revisits his gambling habit, fast friends Anne (Dakota Fanning) and Jimmy (Josh Hutcherson) turn to God and silence with respective zeal.
Surrounding the survivors are various caring family members, impotent, incredulous and ignorant in turn to their loved one’s plight. Indeed the supporting cast (including Jennifer Hudson, Jean Tripplehorn and Jackie Earle Haley) provide a very insightful look into the difficulties faced by the families of survivors.
For all this obsessing, surviving and supporting, however, Winged Creatures never really gets off the ground. Steeped in symbolism and affecting music, the film gets bogged down in its rather laboured treatment of this fascinating subject. As an adaptation of Roy Freirich’s novel of the same name, perhaps some depth and nuance was lost in translation. To be sure, an ensemble, multi-narrative film always runs the risk of spreading itself too thin, where not enough time can be given to each character to fully empathise with their journey. Winged Creatures suffers from this, as it does from a comparison with Paul Haggis’ Crash.
That said the performances are interesting and committed across the board, while Australian director Woods – who has brought us The Boys and Little Fish – continues to confront the violence and unease rippling under the surface of suburbia. Woods’ incisive vision may have been blunted a little in this American context, where the devastating impact of September 11 is all too resonant in stories of loss and mourning.
It is perhaps telling that the film’s US title is Fragments; a very apt description of this ambitious ensemble film, which is consistently intriguing, if ultimately fragmented.
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Winged Creatures
Director: Rowan Woods
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Kate Beckinsale, Guy Pierce, Forrest Whitaker
Country: USA
Australian Release Date: 9 July 2009
