I wasn’t aware that the movie had released in 2009. I am guessing it didn’t do well in the theatre, forcing it to go on DVD sooner. The synopsis reads as follows; “A mosaic of people desperately search for redemption, human connection, and restored faith within the underbelly of Los Angeles. On the eve of Christmas, four lives will cross paths by past guilt, chance, coincidence, and divine intervention. And when morning shed’s light, their lives will have been woven together by a miracle where death is the inevitable hope and love is why we choose to live.” I had the slightest idea that this film was going to end up the way it did.
Directed by Timothy Linh Bui, the movie was overall great. 
The cast was pretty good for having names that I knew well. Jessica Biel being the main actress. Along with her were Forest Whitaker, Patrick Swayze, Lisa Kudrow and even Kris Kristofferson, whom I recognized as the doctor in the movie, The Jacket. Just like the synopsis mentions, the film connects people’s lives at pivotal points that allow the characters to react to their surroundings and the people that come into their lives.
One of the interesting concepts I noticed throughout the film was the way the stories were being told. Without trying to ruin the ending, there were definitely two main styles of shooting that I noticed. With these two styles of shooting, being a grunge look while the other was more formal, it allowed the audiences mind, me, to realize what part of the person’s life was being told and how we’re supposed to interpret it. The idea allowed the separation of emotion with each character as well, revealing to us anger, frustration, hate, and loneliness in one, while expressing love, kindness, generosity, and hope in the other.
While the movie is rated R for, “sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use,” I would easily recommend this to anyone looking for an intense drama that has to deal with the tension of everyday life while getting the flip side and showing love, friendship, and hope. I’d compare it, though only slightly, to Crash, the movie. And the only reason I mention Crash in here is the effort made to relate certain characters to each other and how they react throughout the movie. Definitely a great film, great cast, and great story. Thumb up.
