A famed Hollywood director is nearing death and reevaluating his life. What troubles him most is the son he abandoned. As he is shown a film of his son's painful life, he is offered the oppo... Read allA famed Hollywood director is nearing death and reevaluating his life. What troubles him most is the son he abandoned. As he is shown a film of his son's painful life, he is offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to set things right.A famed Hollywood director is nearing death and reevaluating his life. What troubles him most is the son he abandoned. As he is shown a film of his son's painful life, he is offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to set things right.
- Awards
- 1 win
Photos
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was Kirk Douglas' final film before his death on February 5, 2020 at the age of 103.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator: The story doesn't end when you get here, like you think it might. All the mortal pieces have scattered, but the impressions remain. Every last one of them.
Douglas plays an aging movie director who will be dying soon. One day, he has what you can only assume is a dream or vision. In this experience, a man (is he an angel?) transports the director magically to a movie theater...complete with a bed for the director. The man shows the director three short films.
The first shows the directors son, Chris, as a teen who is smitten with a girl. It's a tad creepy the way he follows her and the story ends after Chris goes through hell trying to get the girl. It also turns out that the director abandoned the son, long, long ago.
The second film shows Chris about a decade later. He and the girl have gone their separate ways. He is a goth who works for a very self-absorbed no-talent performance artist. One day the artist announces to Chris, his assistant, that he saw the most amazing woman on the street and Chris' job is to find her and invite her to a big event. He's also told if he doesn't find her, he's losing his job and not getting paid! When Chris tracks her down with the clues the artist gives him, he finds it's the same girl from the first film.
In the third and supposedly final film, you see Chris again...about a decade later. He's just being released from prison and goes to the old town looking for the girl. He cannot find her but is befriended by a nice guy (Bryan Cranston) who invites him to his house for a party. At the party, he sees the girl...but it appears that she's married to this nice man and has his child. But is this all? Is there, possibly, a fourth reel?
The film is both very surreal in style and existential as it asks questions about the meaning of life. Both make it a film that many probably might not like, as it's anything but a Hollywood style film. It is something that might appeal to folks who like the films of Ingmar Bergman as well as Kurosawa's later films, as these two famous directors were some of the few who did films that explored these issues. Overall, a truly unique and interesting movie...one that you really should see if you want something different...or if you don't mind exploring your life and life choices.
- planktonrules
- Dec 4, 2022
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- The Ilusion
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $9,261
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $9,261
- Feb 20, 2006
- Gross worldwide
- $9,261
- Runtime1 hour 46 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1