红土地

　　Red Dirt opens with lush images of rain-drenched faces and half-naked bodies lying entwined against the gnarled roots of a tree. Slowly, the movie unwinds the story of Griffith (Dan Montgomery), a young man who feels trapped in a small Southern town by the madness of his invalid aunt (Karen Black). His only comfort is his secret affair with his cousin Emily (Aleksa Palladino), but even that begins to lose its meaning. When a stranger (Walton Goggins) seeks to rent a cottage on Griffith's property, they strike up a friendship that offers Griffith the possibility of escape. At first, Red Dirt threatens to drown in the tortured emotions of a Southern gothic novel, but the excellent performances slowly build a rich, affecting web of hope and passion. Palladino, a young beauty with amazingly thick red hair, is particularly striking.