Fearless (1993)

Directed by Peter Weir. Starring Jeff Bridges, Rosie Perez, Isabella Rossellini, John Turturro, Tom Hulce, Benicio del Toro, Debra Monk, John de Lancie. [R]

Bridges walks away from a devastating plane crash, and within his altered (almost fugue) state, he feels a strange sense of defiance, even invulnerability, from the compound repercussions of survivor’s guilt and the crippling influence of fear; though he emotionally retreats from his wife (Rossellini) and is unwilling to confront his issues in the manner encouraged by the airline’s therapist (Turturro), he’s drawn into an unorthodox relationship with a fellow survivor (Perez) who lost her young son that day and also suffers from severe PTSD. Introspective drama is uneven and bound to divide viewers between those who buy into spiritual transcendence and those who only see bunk; for a more consistent point of agreement, witness the technical craft and emotional focus of the rapidly-descending airplane sequences, seen in pieces throughout as flashbacks. The actors rise to the challenge of their difficult roles, with Bridges and Perez as the noteworthy standouts. Director Weir and writer Rafael Yglesias ultimately don’t say much that’s profound through its existential overreach and stale otherworldly aesthetics, but it’s a journey worth taking even in the absence of a moving aftermath. Yglesias also wrote the novel upon which the film is based. Co-produced by Mark Rosenberg, who died of heart failure during production.

69/100