Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2001)

69% of critics liked it
(100 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(2,580 ratings)

Three women whose lives have followed very different paths ponder their pasts and their futures in this omnibus film from second-time director Rebecca Miller, adapted from her acclaimed short story collection of the same name. Delia (Kyra Sedgwick) grew up in a fractured household; her mother… More Three women whose lives have followed very different paths ponder their pasts and their futures in this omnibus film from second-time director Rebecca Miller, adapted from her acclaimed short story collection of the same name. Delia (Kyra Sedgwick) grew up in a fractured household; her mother abandoned the family when Delia was a child, and her father (Brian Tarantina) was a drug-addled loser who could barely be prodded off the couch. When she entered adolescence, Delia realized that she could use her body to get men to do as she pleased. While this gained her a feeling of power and self-sufficiency, it also earned her a reputation as the "class slut," and the end product was her marriage to Kurt (David Warshofsky). Greta (Parker Posey) is the daughter of a successful lawyer (Ron Leibman) who left her mother when she was young and offered Greta criticism rather than affection. Plagued with self-doubt, Greta is squandering her literary talents editing cookbooks and is married to Lee (Tim Guinee. When Thavi (Joel de la Fuente), a respected and successful young novelist, asks Greta to edit his next novel, it forces her to reassess herself on a number of levels. Finally, Paula (Fairuza Balk), yet another product of a fractured family, ran away from her mother and was homeless until she met Vincent (Seth Gilliam), who took her in and became her boyfriend. A year later, Paula is uncertain in her feelings about Vincent, unsettled to learn that she's pregnant, and startled after witnessing a murder while out clubbing with a friend; she hits the road again, and soon picks up a fellow alienated teen, Kevin (Lou Taylor Pucci), who bears the scars of a recent -- and very brutal -- beating. Personal Velocity: Three Portraits was honored with the Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Rebecca Miller
Written By: Rebecca Miller
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Mar 18, 2003
Studio: United Artists

Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
Very psychoanalytical -- provocatively so -- and also refreshingly literary.
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle
This beautifully realized film retains the essential qualities of short fiction: precision, compactness, a focus on epiphanic moments.
Steven Rosen, Denver Post
These are complex characters.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
It accumulates small details that gradually create a feeling of narrative intimacy.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Three exquisite boutique films whose impact is much larger than many movies five times their size.
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Redeemed by the fine performances and by the moody and effective digital photography of Ellen Kuras.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Story about life's turning points is not for kids.
Shannon J. Harvey, Sunday Times (Australia)
Miller has made a provocative, intimate triptych of short stories.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
It's quite a stylised piece and it's credit to the cast and the filmmakers that the characters engage us to the extent that they do.
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
Three short stories about women at turning points in their lives, the movie gains power by condensing each story to 30 minutes each.

Read all 10 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Sunil J

Great work by all three actresses and often movies with seperate stories bother me.

Cast

            John Ventimiglia as Narrator

            Kyra Sedgwick as Delia

            David Warshofsky as Kurt

            Brian Tarantina as Pete

            Mara Hobel as Fay

            Leo Fitzpatrick as Mylert

            Parker Posey as Greta

            Tim Guinee as Lee

            Wallace Shawn as Mr. Gelb

            Joel de la Fuente as Thavi

            Ron Liebman as Avram

            Josh Phillip Weinstein as Oscar

            Ben Shenkman as Max

            Fairuza Balk as Paula

            Lou Taylor Pucci as Kevin

            Seth Gilliam as Vincent

            David Patrick Kelly as Peter

            Patti D'Arbanville as Celia

            Susan Blommaert as Mrs. Toron

            Bill Burns as Court Steps Reporter

            Tim Hopper as Mr Brown the Adventist

            Marceline Hugot as Pam

            Ron Leibman as Avram Herskovitz

            Brian Bell as Playwright

            Michi Barall as Felicia Wong

            Peter Galman as Man in His 50's

            Christopher Fitzgerald as Greg

            Nick Cubbler as John Wurtzle

            Nicole Murphy as May Wurtzle

            Sarah Morf as Claire Wurtzle

            Laura Finelli as Young Delia

            Dean Strange as Norwegian Man

            Maria Elena Ramirez as News Reporter

            Angela Trento as Lola

            Danielle Tagger as Marla

            Tony Osso as Waiter

            Monica Paskiewicz as Mimi

            Quentin Mare as Darius

            Kaluska Poventud as Maroushka

            Francis Akins as Jesse

            Jennifer Lent as Young Fay

            Lynne Anne Hart as Mylert's Mother

            Eileen Stancage as Old Woman

            Corinne Brownsell as Dunkin Donuts Cashier

            Eleanor Niel as Girl on Swing

            Stephi Licciardi as Girl on Swing

            Samantha Steinel as Girl on Swing
See full cast