Northfork (2003)

57% of critics liked it
(99 reviews)
67% of users liked it
(4,569 ratings)

What was once a brave frontier town has become a haven for enlightened oddballs in this unusual drama from director Michael Polish, written in collaboration with his twin brother, Mark Polish. Northfork is a small town in Montana which, in 1955, is soon to disappear in the name of progress; a… More What was once a brave frontier town has become a haven for enlightened oddballs in this unusual drama from director Michael Polish, written in collaboration with his twin brother, Mark Polish. Northfork is a small town in Montana which, in 1955, is soon to disappear in the name of progress; a massive hydroelectric dam is to be put in nearby, which will flood the entire village. A group of six men sent by the power company -- led by Walter O'Brien (James Woods) and his son Willis (Mark Polish) -- arrive in Northfork to evacuate the few remaining residents. If the men are successful, they'll each be given parcels of land on the banks of the new lake which will be where Northfork once stood. Most of the townspeople have already left, but a few remain, among them Father Harlan (Nick Nolte), a man of the cloth who is caring for Irwin (Duel Farnes), a strange, scarred boy apparently on his deathbed, and a handful of enchanted eccentrics who have taken over a local bar, including Flower Hercules (Daryl Hannah), Cup of Tea (Robin Sachs), Happy (Anthony Edwards), and Cod (Ben Foster). As Walter and Willis try to persuade the stubborn stragglers to move on, Walter must search for a new final resting place for his late wife, whose coffin is the last to be relocated after Northfork's cemetery is dug up. Northfork received its world premier at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Michael Polish
Written By: Mark Polish, Michael Polish
Genres: Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jul 11, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Dec 30, 2003
Studio: Paramount Classics

Critic Reviews

Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
For me, the Polish brothers marched down a road leading nowhere.
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic
A compelling juxtaposition of the poignant and the bizarre, a movie that tosses moviemaking rules into the nearest Cuisinart.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those on its peculiar wavelength, everything fits. For those who aren't, it's a painful piece of self-impressed drivel. Either way, you'll know you've been to the movies.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
This formidable work is for no one except those who are truly tired of formulaic movies and crave something completely different.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
It's a tone poem of a movie, more visual than coherent. As such, what it's about is less important than the spell it casts.
Michael Booth, Denver Post
It is impossible to describe all the rich layers of Northfork, clearly an exhausting labor of love for the Polish brothers who wrote, produced, directed and star in the mystical movie.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...a transcendent tone poem, an arrangement in dun and gray marred only slightly by the brothers' insistence on the occasional tin-ear joke
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
A moody and layered meditation on and evocation of literal and figurative states of purgatory.
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
With the pacing of a death march and the theological heft of Angels in the Outfield, this feel-bad extravaganza is 2003's Exhibit A of why people avoid arthouse cinema.
Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com
Northfork is a maddeningly pretentious movie that attempts to combine elements of David Lynch and Wim Wenders as re-imagined by Salvador Dali.
Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife
It's a recipe for magical realism, and the Polish brothers deliver with a stunning cinematic statement.
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com
This droll surrealistic fantasy is like a gentler David Lynch hallucination.
Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly
Characters talk in solemn monotones, as if the entire drama were taking place in a funeral parlor.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Meticulously designed for those who like their movies with turtlenecks and cappuccinos.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
The Polish brothers may be too clever for their own good; this film feels self-indulgent, like an inside joke we could never get without reading a book about the film.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

What the Hell was I watching. Two Stars
Arash X

"There's nothing fowl about these wings"
Nate Z

[center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8787/photo026dc.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Weird. Weird. Weird. Weird. Is that a religious metaphor? Weird. Weird. Weird. Everyone… More
[center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8787/photo026dc.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Weird. Weird. Weird. Weird. Is that a religious metaphor? Weird. Weird. Weird. Everyone will be affected differently by this, like an abstract painting. Still, it might be too weird for most, but those on its highly metaphorical wavelength may get some intellectual pleasure from this Polish brother oddity.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: B[/color][/font]
Mike N

20 of my finest legions of waffle troops were savagely consumed with little consideration given to their tasty legs. Such a disgraceful way to go. For a waffle anyway. Damn, mass wafflo-cide could've only been the work of...yep, you guessed it: the Methochaun. That little vile… More
20 of my finest legions of waffle troops were savagely consumed with little consideration given to their tasty legs. Such a disgraceful way to go. For a waffle anyway. Damn, mass wafflo-cide could've only been the work of...yep, you guessed it: the Methochaun. That little vile bastard is back, and pissier than ever. Tubbs is organizing a reconaissance mission with a few of the remaining, un-stabby bums to recover the legs for dinner tonight. Dinner's important, dadgummit! So uhh...after the failure of the Q&A session (stern, disapproving look), things have gone to all hell. Wait, only some of hell, not all. Like a few of the layers of hell anyway. So yeah, things are there. At least, some things have already gone there, while other things are either in the process of going there, or are just haven't bought their ticket yet. But yeah, hell's involved, and so are things. And it sucks. There's been a delay in the deployment of my latest squadron of secret quadrilaterals, and now the enemy have been graced with weapons of kaleidoscopic power: the colors Yellow and Violet. "Cheese" I exclaimed, thinking of the first thing that came to mind when I first learned of their Yellow power. What is it with me & cheese anyway? And always related to women, too. Sorry, Larry, but my blood-and-syrup-soaked daydreams are no place for a beautiful mime. But Yellow?! And [i]Violet[/i]?? What am I to do against such colorful weaponry? Stuffed horse bombs have been rendered impotent after being blanked by a double-coating of their multi-colored firepower. And unless my toy binoculars are deceiving me (which they promised me they wouldn't anymore), that damn Zombie Barbie seems to be flaunting Yellow & Purple facepaint too. Hmm...zombie-barbie look? Yellow & purple? Yeah, I *thought* she reminded me of an aging Paula Abdul in her Laker Girl outfit! Bada bing! And Whitesnake, ever the rock n' rollin' harbinger, apparently finds purpose is his constant prophesizing of Bogart's coming. I find it quite annoying, and am beginning to relish even MORE so the first opportunity I have to snake a paintball in the back of that pajama-loving infidel's gourd with "Warm Embrace's" venomous accuracy. And I won't be holding it backwards this time either (grr)! Oh yes, my friends and neighbors and friend's neighbors and neighbor's friends. My determination in doing so is sky-rocketing like a thermometer on a hot day tied to a sky-bound launching rocket. Oh, and Squiggy's on holiday. What in violet blazes was I thinkin'? I should've never allowed him to get out and see 4th Street at such a taxing time (even though I *do* hear it's lovely this time of year). Ugh. I hate being mired in this rut of battle. This has been goin' on for too long, dammit! I dunno, but maybe I'm getting a little disillusioned with all this war & chaos (though I suppose it could be the "Drink"). [size=1]Also: A.M.A.I.L.A. (As Much As I Love A.C.K. [Alienated Cretins for Killing]), I've decided that journal entries aren't quite as efficient using this code as wartime communication (even though it's still perfectly brilliant, I say). Expect it sparingly now. T.I.A. (That Is All).[/size]
Sunil J

Doesn't explain half of the things that are going on in the movie. Boo.
Moe E

Set in 1955, this is the story of the residents of the small town of Northfork, Montana and their surrounding neighbors, who are being re-located to make way for the lake which will power a new hydro-electric dam. It's also the story of a sickly, orphan boy, named Irwin and the… More
Set in 1955, this is the story of the residents of the small town of Northfork, Montana and their surrounding neighbors, who are being re-located to make way for the lake which will power a new hydro-electric dam. It's also the story of a sickly, orphan boy, named Irwin and the priest who's caring for him. Written by brothers, Michael and Mark Polish, and directed by Michael, the film is a veritable feast of visual imagery meant to be gorged upon. I got the feeling that I was viewing an Andrew Wyeth painting which had been infused with motion and a slight touch of surrealism added. James Woods, Nick Nolte, newcomer Duel Farnes and a brilliant ensemble cast, including writer Mark Polish, are all perfectly cast in their respective roles. I'm so thankful that I was in the right frame of mind for viewing this film, otherwise I might have bailed early on and missed a truly beautiful work of art. Awesome...
Eduardo C

Surreal, haunting, ingenious, uneven. This is as much a personal work of art as the Polish brothers' debut film, Twin Falls Idaho, was. With a fantastic cast, amazing setting and a strong visual sense, the film is almost the exact opposite of TFI. If that one was an intimate… More
Surreal, haunting, ingenious, uneven. This is as much a personal work of art as the Polish brothers' debut film, Twin Falls Idaho, was. With a fantastic cast, amazing setting and a strong visual sense, the film is almost the exact opposite of TFI. If that one was an intimate story with some allegorical elements, this is an allegory with plenty of intimacy. Expect to see angels, boats on dry land, floating caskets and other surreal images throughout the film, but they are never gratuitous. It is a strange universe the Polish brothers dwell in, a dark, sad universe where loss reigns, but one that makes it 'ok' to laugh at absurdities as we meet them. It is absolutely a universe worth visiting.
FanGirl B

An ark in the middle of a desert, secert angels and the Polish brothers you know it's going to be worth your time.