Personal Velocity (2002)

Rating: * * * * 1/2 (out of 5)

The three women in Personal Velocity all have their flaws. It is their flaws that make them human; it is their questionable decisions that make us sympathize with them; and it is their ultimate choices that make them almost respectable.

Based on her own collection of short stories, writer/director Rebecca Miller's multilayered film consists of three short stories that are loosely connected through a news broadcast. It tells the stories of three women of different social classes who have to go through personal growth of one form or another. John Ventimiglia's voice over narrates the backgrounds of the characters with lyrical prose from the book. Combine that with Ellen Kuras' poetic digital video cinematography, the film has a literary yet spontaneous feel of short stories.

In the first story, Delia (played by Kyra Sedgwick) realizes that her marriage is on a downward spiral and has to make a decision of continuing on or starting a new life. Since she was a girl, men have always been attracted to her, and she had a reputation of being promiscuous before she was married. She married her abusive husband simply because he asked, even though she did later grow to love him. However, it is too late by that point as she realizes that he has actually grown to hate her.

In the second story, Greta (played by Parker Posey) wrestles with fidelity and ambitions. A professional woman who seems to have settled for a quiet but modest life suddenly has an opportunity to fulfill her, or maybe even more importantly, her famous father's ambitions. At the same time, she feels that her husband, a down to earth man who she once feels so comfortable with, does not match her, as her father would call it, "personal velocity".

The final story is about Paula's (played by Fairuza Balk) struggles of searching for her own existence, her place in life. Running away from a relationship, she encounters two strangers that hugely impact her life. One dies while on a date with her. The other one, a teenage hitchhiker, would become a catalyst of her growth and realization.

Ms. Miller lets us know her characters, sometimes even more than the characters know themselves. We hear their thoughts, sometimes in their own voices, but often through Mr. Ventimiglia's third person narration. All three stories have their own distinctive tones, as reflected by Ms. Kuras' sublime camerawork (Ms. Kuras won the best Cinematography award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival). Delia's story has the most hand held shots of the three to express her inner and physical turmoil. The camera is mostly stationary in Greta's story, as her inner struggle is within a settled life. Paula is on a journey to discover herself, so there are more exterior shots with a cold tone.

The three actresses all give exceptional performances. Kyra Sedgwick is absolutely believable as the desirable, but tough as nail Delia. Parker Posey displays fantastic comic timing and emotional depth in her story, and brings an unexpected humorous aspect to the film. Even though I feel that the third story is the weakest of the three, Fairuza Balk brings much sensitivity to Paula with her big, expressive eyes.

Ms. Miller, the daughter of famed playwright Arthur Miller, is a very gifted artist. The characters she created are complex; her narrative is epodic and intelligent. In Personal Velocity, she painted three very intimate portraits of three very different women with an air of offhandedness, like a great painter who decides to play with watercolor and comes up with a work of charm and beauty.

Written and directed by Rebecca Miller, based on her book of short stories; director of photography, Ellen Kuras; edited by Sabine Hoffman; music by Michael Rohatyn; production designer, Judy Becker; produced by Lemore Syvan, Gary Winick and Alexis Alexanian; released by United Artists. Running time: 90 minutes. This film is rated R. WITH: John Ventimiglia (Narrator). Delia segment: Kyra Sedgwick (Delia) and Nicole Murphy (May Wurtzle). Greta segment: Parker Posey (Greta), Tim Guinee (Lee) and Ron Liebman (Avram). Paula segment: Fairuza Balk (Paula) and Seth Gilliam (Vincent).

Awards:
Won the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival
Won the Cinematography Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival

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