coldmtn

What can I say about this film? It surprised me, that’s for sure. I couldn’t get through the book in
high school. I wasn’t interested in the advertising and the hype almost made me hate it before I saw
it. Then, one winter night in January I saw this film in a small Asheville theatre. Interestingly, the
theatre was not too far from the actual peak that gives the movie its name. And I was impressed. I
am not too proud to admit that I fell in love with this picture. It’s simply a beautiful piece of
storytelling that transcends its source material, at least visually.

“Cold Mountain” is actually two stories connected by a common desire. Jude Law plays Inman, a
Confederate soldier languishing in a military hospital. Nicole Kidman is Ada, the girl Inman left
behind in North Carolina to go fight the Union. They shared a brief and innocent courtship before
Inman enlisted. Both characters reflect on the handful of moments they shared in flashbacks
throughout the film.

Ada is a southern belle brought to the rugged highlands of Appalachia by her preacher father
played by Donald Sutherland. She is not accustomed to the harsh rigors of the mountains and is
skilled only in the finer things in life. Inman is the simple, hard working local boy that falls for her.
North Carolina declares war on the Union before the two young lovers can really explore the
feelings developing between them. Inman goes off to fight and Ada is left to wait. Years pass,
Inman is viciously wounded and Ada is slowly succumbing to destitution. Inman receives a letter in
hospital from Ada with a simple request: Come back to me. An easy request. A nearly impossible
task.

What follows are two stories of survival. Inman, now AWOL, trying to trek across a war torn
wilderness to get home and Ada fighting starvation in a world she is ill equipped to deal with.

Renee Zellweger puts in a gangbuster performance as Ruby, a rough and tumble highlands girl that
comes to Ada’s aid. The two women develop a strong friendship and working relationship that
makes up some of the strongest character development in recent film memory.

Jude Law’s stoic portrayal of Inman is fascinating to watch; his face displaying a depth of complexity
rarely seen in an errant, silent hero. The few lines Law does have in the film are delivered in an
unerringly perfect Appalachian accent, which never wavers, even during dialogue of intense
emotion. In fact, every actor in the film does a terrific job with the dialect.

Nicole Kidman’s Ada is a refreshing female lead. She is vulnerable, but not weak. Complex, but not crazy. Determined, but not harsh. Basically, you end up
liking her, an effect not often achieved by female characters in dramatic cinema; especially period pieces. She is looking to be rescued, but ends up finding the
strength to rescue herself. However, she does not compromise her love for Inman. She promises to wait and she does. An act made all the more noble by the
fact that unbeknownst her Inman is basically fighting the world to get back to her and honor his own promise.

And those are not the only instances of honor presented in the film. The story is subtly infused with human compassion and loyalty, made all the more effective
against a harsh background. Director, Anthony Minghella pulled no punches with his portrayal of the violent and callous realities of life in this dark period of
American history.

“Cold Mountain” is often unapologetically brutal, but somehow the violence manages to give the simple quests of the characters more meaning and the film is
made even more poetic.

There are some brilliant performances in this film and not just from the principal actors. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Giovanni Ribisi and Natalie Portman all have
wonderfully effective cameos. I must point out, too, the unknown actress that plays the hermit woman who takes Inman in. I don’t know who this actress is and I
hesitate to use that expression, because it looks like the filmmakers found her actually living alone up in the mountains. She has one of the most interesting
faces in film, since Sergio Leone’s westerns.

The only downside to the film is its quick and predictable conclusion. Admittedly, the ending is a little hurried and some might call it unoriginal, but I can forgive
it based on the fact that it improves upon, but does not contradict, the ending of the Charles Frazier novel.

In an industry full of huge CG onslaughts, “Cold Mountain” stands out as a very visceral epic picture that is both beautifully crafted and brilliantly performed.