Northfork

2003 Drama

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. more..

Director: Michael Polish

Starring: James Woods, Mark Polish, Nick Nolte, Duel Farnes, Daryl Hannah

Reviews

  • A thoroughly original accomplishment of a high artistic order, Northfork features flawless, spare production design by Ichelle Spitzig and the Polish brothers' father, Del, and cinematographer M. David Mullen's striking images slide effortlessly into Dalí-like Surrealism.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    26 April 2013

  • There has never been a movie quite like Northfork... The movie is visionary and elegiac, more a fable than a story, and frame by frame, it looks like a portfolio of spaces so wide, so open, that men must wonder if they have a role beneath such indifferent skies.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • The movie elegantly mingles drama, comedy, and low-key spiritual resonance. It also has a splendid cast.

    David Sterritt - Christian Science Monitor

    26 April 2013

  • Strictly a love it-or-hate-it proposition, it requires viewers to work at a movie with a narrative that could support at least half a dozen interpretations.

    Lou Lumenick - New York Post

    26 April 2013

  • This is very much the bargain that Northfork offers an audience: Buy into the brothers' elegiac meditation on angels, Eden, and the death of American innocence or sit back and scoff at it as so much David Lynch lite.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Michael Polish

    Athens International Film Festival (2003)

  • Best Cinematography

    Chlotrudis Awards (2004)

     
  • Michael Polish

    Deauville Film Festival (2003)

     
  • Golden Trailer Awards (2004)

  • Best Cinematography

    Independent Spirit Awards (2004)