To Sleep with Anger Movie Review
One of the many exceptional entries at 1990's Mill Valley Film Festival was To Sleep with Anger. It is a wonderfully layered tale of family tensions, magic, and mystery set in a deceptively down-to-earth black neighborhood in Los Angeles. Refreshingly free of stereotypes, the film focuses on the disturbing effect of an intruder named Harry on the basically healthy family who offer him their hospitality. Who is Harry? No one seems to know, although they shared some stormy experiences together in their younger days. But Harry has changed over the years and so have they. Gradually he begins to chip away at their collective strengths, creating disharmony wherever he goes. Harry has cultivated a fairly delightful shell, however, so it takes a while before his friends realize why their lives have become so chaotic in his crafty presence. Although it is difficult to tear your eyes away from the spellbinding Danny Glover as Harry, the supporting cast is outstanding. Paul Butler and Mary Alice deliver warm, rich performances as Gideon and Suzie, the kindly couple who agree to take Harry on as a guest. Carl Lumbly and Vonetta McGee have such charisma in supporting roles that you wish you could see more of them. Ethel Ayler is also excellent in a scene-stealing role as a tough cookie who sees all the way through Harry's shenanigans and Davis Roberts is a treasure as one of Suzie's old but still hopeful suitors. Writer/director Charles Burnett has exceptional skill at sustaining suspense and then almost, but not quite, relieving it with humor, so even as you laugh, you're waiting for the tension to start building again. Gideon's family is an imperfect group who seemed to have made peace with an imperfect world until Harry arrived on their doorstep. Producer Glover, Charles Burnett, and company deserve credit for sustaining their unique vision throughout To Sleep with Anger and for bringing such a rare gem to the attention of movie audiences everywhere.
1990 (PG) 105m/C Danny Glover, Mary Alice, Paul Butler, Richard Brooks, Carl Lumbly, Vonetta McGee, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Ethel Ayler, Davis Roberts; D: Charles Burnett; W: Charles Burnett; C: Walt Lloyd. Independent Spirit Awards ‘91: Best Actor (Glover), Best Director (Burnett), Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Ralph); National Society of Film Critics Awards ‘90: Best Screenplay; Sundance Film Festival ‘90: Special Jury Prize. VHS, Closed Caption