65 - Witness

    A young Amish boy witnesses a murder, leading to a cop hiding out in an Amish community to protect him.
    I know that this was a big hit when it was released, but the only time I’ve seen anything having to do with it was during college.  One of my professors showed a clip of a bit near the end.
    I found myself more conflicted about this.  The idea is strong, and there’s a nice contrast and parallel drawn between the lives and their attitudes toward outsiders.  But there are a few things that distract from the strengths.
    The music really dated.  It’s mostly a synth-orchestrated score, and it’s very distracting.  I can’t help but feel like it isn’t a matter of the change of times, since there are plenty of dated scores I’ve heard, but they work well with the material (like, say, Dawn of the Dead).
    There’s a romantic subplot that feels terribly awkward.  I don’t think anything in particular was wrong about this plot, except that it took time away from what seemed to be a more important area - the relationship between the boy and the cop.
    (This reminds me… the boy doesn’t seem to be bothered by having witnessed a murder.)
    What the romantic subplot does do is create a conflict between the woman and the community.  This is probably the most interesting element, since it draws attention to the relationship between the size of a community and how exclusive it is.
    For as tight-knit as the Amish community is, it also means they are less tolerant of their own disobeying rules.  In contrast, the lack of tight community in the outside world makes them less close and less reliable, but also more inclusive.
    There’s also the message about the internal police corruption being a side effect of this insular community.  So there seems to be a confused message here, that all communities, big and small, are not ideal.  Something makes me think this was not an intentional message though.
    There’s a lack of focus on the child, and this isn’t a bad thing, but it changes the kid to just being a plot device.  He doesn’t have an arc, he doesn’t grow closer to the lead, and he doesn’t influence anyone’s thought process.
    It’s a good movie, but it’s a little confused.  And it’s a little dated.  But it is redeemed by some of the performances, and the photography.