Its easy to see why Heavy, the first feature from writer-director Mangold, won this years Sundance Festivals special prize for superior direction. It tells a simple story that unfolds as slow as molasses in January, but with a sweetness to match. The pace never once lessens the impact, slow and steady being the best possible way to pull on anyones heart-strings.
Mangolds secret is to let his film revolve hypnotically around a stunning central performance by Pruit Taylor Vince (last seen as Paul Newmans buddy in Nobodys Fool). With this hub in place, the idea that this may be just another predictable film set in a sleepy backwater roadside diner soon evaporates. The diner is owned by Dolly (Winters) who upsets her hard-nosed head waitress Delores (Harry) by hiring Callie (Tyler), a young college drop-out, to help out. Victor is the diners pizza chef, a big man of painfully few words, a giant that no one can see. When his domineering mother goes into hospital, Victor copes silently while watching Callie and helplessly trying to communicate his affection for her.
Tylers performance is captivating. An impossibly beautiful picture of innocence with a boyfriend (Evan Dando) who doesnt deserve her and an admirer who can only wish he wasnt so, well, heavy(ital). But Callie does(ital) notice Victor and, if not love, they eventually share tender moments that prompt Victor to reveal his saddest secret. With a superb soundtrack (Sonic Youths Thurston Moore wrote the original score) and a cast to match, Heavy is a magical debut, at once a heart-rending and uplifting experience.