My Blueberry Nights (2007)

A young New Yorker (singer Norah Jones in her film debut), unable to cope with her boyfriend leaving her for another woman, finds solace at a cafe run by an expatriate Brit (Jude Law) who offers her advice over blueberry pie. In an attempt to heal her emotional wounds, she leaves New York and ends up in Tennessee and then Nevada where two different experiences make her grow as a person. The first English language film by the acclaimed Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE), this affecting rumination on the affliction of love and how one moves on and lets go was greeted with an underwhelming critical reception when it opened which is too bad as it's a jewel of a film, as affecting as in its way as IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE or 2046. As an actress, singer Jones is adequate which is fine as her part doesn't require much. It's the peripheral characters that are the backbone of the film, the alcoholic cop (David Strathairn) who can't let go of his young wife (Rachel Weisz) who feels suffocated by him or the poker hustler (Natalie Portman) who "reads" people yet can't seem to get her own life in order. The delicate underscore is by Ry Cooder and the creative cinematography (some of the images look drawn) is by Darius Khondji (SE7EN).