Outbound

OUTBOUND (2010) - Sept. 11, 2010
A typically European art house type of film (but a well done one), this was a well made and well acted film about a woman who gets out of jail -- supposedly for 24 hours only -- and who sets out to leave with her son.  The film follows her over the course of the day as she attempts to get her affairs in order, and features a naturalistic style that is quite reminisent of the work of the Dardenne brothers (but mostly without the handheld camerawork).  The film also features one of the more abrupt endings that I've seen lately, which seemed to irk the crowd I saw it with -- when someone asked the director to elaborate on what happened at the end, there were definite murmurs of appreciation (and of course, he didn't answer).  ***