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High Tide (Gillian Armstrong, 1987)
High Tide simply
will not work for audiences who fail to accept the massive contrivance at its
center. What little plot there is here hinges entirely upon Lilly and Ally’s
secret identities. This story device is problematic because such a melodramatic
twist stands in opposition to the quietly observational tone of the rest of the
film. Armstrong uses the natural lighting her seaside locale provides and a
minimal amount of music on her soundtrack to create an unaffected atmosphere,
but the plotting works against any such effect. There is little in the way of
subplot here to distract us from the ridiculousness at
High Tide’s center, either, leaving
the film with a generally aimless quality. As this drama crawls toward its
predictable reconciliation, it manages to eke out tension only in its final
scene, which raises the question of whether or not Lilly is capable of changing
her nature. Such stakes are absent throughout the rest of
High Tide, which is content to take
the path of least resistance. This sleepily constructed drama aims for subtle
evocations of its characters’ drifting emotional states, but ends up
characterizing them with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. 36 Jeremy Heilman 06.15.11
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Admirable
in its low-key approach to the estranged parent melodrama, but somewhat dull all
the same, Gillian Armstrong’s High Tide
is indisputably a lesser effort from this accomplished filmmaker. What should be
a showcase for star Judy Davis becomes something a bit too sleepy and
intelligent to become anything close to a tour-de-force for the actress.
Playing, Lilly, a backup singer for a dreadful Elvis impersonator, Davis is a
bundle of ratty hair and pale skin. After getting dumped by her band, Lilly ends
up economically stranded in a dead-end seaside town. There she meanders about
waiting for her broken-down car to be repaired. At this juncture,
High Tide inflicts a massive
coincidence at its audience, which drives the rest of the plot, but strains
credibility all the same. Lilly, it turns out, has abandoned a child, Ally
(Claudia Karvan), who just happens to live in this small town. The randomly two
meet up, unbeknownst to each other, and begin to strike up a tentative bond.