| Wake | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Henry LeRoy Finch |
| Written by | Henry LeRoy Finch |
| Produced by | Susan Landau Finch |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Patrick Kelly |
| Edited by | Gus Carpenter |
| Music by | Chris AndersonHenry LeRoy Finch |
Productioncompanies | Fictionworks ProductionWildwell Films |
| Distributed by | Newmark/Echelon Entertainment Group |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Wake is a 2003 American drama film directed by Henry LeRoy Finch, starring Gale Harold, Dihlon McManne, Blake Gibbons and John Winthrop Philbrick.
The film opened on 28 May 2004.[1]
Maitland McDonagh of the TV Guide rated the film 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Its assets include uniformly strong performances; Gibbons and Harold revel in the showy roles, and get strong support from McManne and Philbrick. Even Paik and Judd invest their one-note roles with surprising vividness. Shooting on digital video, cinematographer Patrick Kelly delivers a vibrantly smeary look that evokes alternately sordid and surreally beautiful flashes of poisonously intoxicated memory."[2] Ronnie Scheib of Variety wrote that "Strong thesping and solid staging, atmospherically accompanied by disorienting, darkly folksy Ramsay Midwood songs make “Wake” surprisingly watchable for a film whose whole raison d’etre appears to be something of a mystery."[3]
Noel Murray of The A.V. Club wrote that the film "looks great and sounds great—apart from what the people in it do and say."[4]Dave Kehr of The New York Times wrote that the film was "instantly forgettable".[5] Chuck Wilson of LA Weekly wrote that "one feels sympathy for the ensemble, which, absent full-bodied characters to inhabit, mug furiously, as if big gestures conjure big themes."[6] Ben Kenigsberg of The Village Voice wrote a negative review of the film.[1]