Film Week

A review of the films I've seen this past week.

THE DUST FACTORY (2004)
I'm not sure what it is about this movie that didn't really work for me. It's about a boy who saw his father die in a train accident and who has been mute ever since. After another accident, he enters a fantasy world with no night and a creepy circus where he can talk. (The power of this transformation is really lessened by the fact that the kid narrates the movie before then, so we're used to his voice, anyway.) Once there, he can communicate with his increasingly-demented grandfather and meets a girl (Hayden Panettiere, who is adorable and vibrant) who helps him to believe in himself and regain his courage. The problem is, there are long dull stretches and although the film's earnestness never devolves into pathos, it still just didn't grab me and engross me the way I wish it had. Hayden's really good, and so is Michael Angarano in a too-small role as the hero's friend. It's a sincere story, but it just didn't work for me. **1/2 stars.