I thoroughly enjoyed your movie. It was poignant and engrossing, with a terrific performance by the actress who played the daughter, and the little boy was great. The dynamic between these two was fascinating to watch.

The camerawork, the stylistic choices, the whole look of the film, the blackouts, etc.--all seemed appropriate to the story you were telling.

My one criticism has to do with your handling of the father. He seems too limited, too shut-down, with the result that it's not a fair fight, there isn't enough tension. For instance, the scene with the Russian visiting their home--why must he be so closed-down and mean? Why can't he at least try a little? Why shouldn't he try to communicate a bit with his son, before he calls in Daisy? I don't think the big payoff should be that he cries in the end--that's too sentimental, too programmatically repressed-American-male Dad. The tragedy should be that it doesn't work out, even with the best intentions, not that he's a zero, a black hole in the picture.

Just let me say that the problem is not with the actor who plays Wyatt: he does a good job. And the scenes between Wyatt and Noreen certainly display his vulnerability, as do the driving scenes. In other words, I was never in any doubt that this man was in pain, just puzzled as to why he didn't try harder or was so inarticulate, given his level of education and occasional access to his feelings. It's all a question of balance: why is he so much more uncommunicative than the other characters, and how does that absence affect the dramaturgy as a whole?

Other than that, I think it's a very fine movie. You've pulled off something difficult, a chamber drama in the sunshine. Thank you for letting me see it.