Fragments [HD]

Unpredicted Terror, Unexpected Consequences
FRAGMENTS (AKA Winged Creatures) is an uncomfortable movie: the subject matter of spontaneous unsuspected violence and the subsequent impact on the lives of those who survive a near death situation is terrifying. FRAGMENTS takes a moment in time and then reveals how that moment alters the psyche and behavior of numerous people from children to adults. It is disconcerting to watch, but at the same time it makes us face the possibilities of how isolated cracks in the universe can alter our lives. As the tagline suggests 'You have to lose your way to find it.'

The film opens with a day in a Los Angeles diner where a gunman enters and randomly opens fire on the customers at the tables and the staff serving them and then kills himself. We are forced to watch this happen but through the eyes of the people attempting to dodge the attack. Among these are a waitress (Kate Beckinsale), a man seated at the counter being denied attention as he glances at his new brochures on...

Was pleased with the overall performances...bare bones DVD though
There have been inevitable comparisons to a slew of other films for this one, but in the end it manages to convey its own little message of loss and PTSD fallout (in various age groups).

The four main story lines and one subplot of a restaurant shooting are mixed into a time line of flashbacks and present day tapestry. For me, Dakota Fanning was the central character and had the biggest epiphany moment at the end, so I think fans of hers will be pleased. Forest Whitaker stumbled onto the set from his last four films of a similar nature, so I rate this on a higher element because of the editing alone, maybe the music and the moment of clarity given to the central story at the end. Since Kate Beckinsale's and Guy Pearce's characters were both totally unlikeable and despicable, I have to call this a Fanning film again.

The sound and picture are solid, but the supplement was inconsequential. I did listen to most of the commentary, but it was one of those that...

Worth a Look
Fragments is a similar movie to "Crash" and "Babel" in that it juggles several stories simultaneously. The difference here is that we follow the stories after they diverge from a single violent act.

A man walks into a diner, pulls a gun, and starts shooting people at random. Some are killed. Some are wounded. He finally turns the gun on himself and the episode is over. We follow the aftermath of several of the survivors and how the incident has changed their lives.

This is a fine ensemble cast of veterans who all do a good job with their rolls. It's acted well and directed well. The music is somewhere between spooky and somber and doesn't intrude on the proceedings.

I suppose my problem with the film lies at the script level. We follow several stories but three of them are key and a couple of them I didn't really understand. The third (with Dakota Fanning) involved a particular point that maybe shouldn't have been so devastating to her and might not...

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