Movie Review: A Love Song for Bobby Long

Here's a John Travolta movie for people who hate John Travolta movies. This has none of his usual cocky, man-above-town swagger. Instead he portrays a lost, broken drunk slowly coming back to his senses. The story is crafted with such brutal honesty that it becomes in its own way beautiful. Scarlett Johansson is in the role of his foil, tearing him down where he needs to be, and yet also shoring him up where he sags.

There is a depth to the cinematography that is truly inspiring. I never felt like it was intruding, but as a photographer I really appreciated the warm lighting and colour that lends life and dignity to the dilapidated shack that is the primary set. Even in the midst of its cluttered ugliness, the old house is given beauty -- an excellent metaphor for the entire story.

It has given me a new understanding of the character of New Orleans, a city rich in history...and only history. The city's lofty aspirations and deperate reality are acutely reflected here, and it makes me wonder what is to become of it now.