Eversmile, New Jersey (SWE) ( Eterna sonrisa de New Jersey )

I bought the VHS copy years ago and continue to enjoy it. Yes, a definite must for Daniel Day Lewis fans. Zany? Sure, but this is also a satire on the human struggle of commitment vs. selling-out, somewhere between idealism and cynicism. Daniel Day Lewis' character (Fergus O'Connell) is arduously devoted to the principle and ethics of "mobile dentistry", bringing dental awareness and care to not only the needy, but to anyone, anywhere, anytime, for free and without discrimination. This, in fact, is the mission of the Foundation for the Development of Dental Consciousness, for whom he works. Mirjana Jokovic (Estella) who delightfully pronounces his name "Furrgoose" doesn't know what to make of this very odd guy whom, she too, comes to idealize and love. What can you say about a guy who constantly hands out free toothbrushes, pulls teeth with his fingers and whose motorcycle and sidecar is his dental office! Despite periods of rejection, struggle and betrayal, Estella and Fergus, eventually, fall in love. The cast, who are wonderful character actors give a performance in an almost ensemble style, and play it as straight as they can which only serves to heighten, the comedic effect. Personally, I believe we've all been there: We start out in our work (whether you're a cop, a priest, a nurse, a corrections officer or a teacher) or in many of our relationships with a typically, youthful and idealized passion and commitment. And then, in fairly short order, if we don't quit or burn out, and instead, choose to remain, we're often faced with having to accept a cynical surrender to conditions that are beyond our control. At the end of the film, (I won't give it away.), there's a very funny line by Daniel Day-Lewis in the shower with Mirjana that's worth the price of admission. The film is shot with beautiful vistas in what appears to be on location in Patagonia.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's so unexpected, so out-in-left-field, so off on a tangent, that the best way to watch this movie is to give up trying to make sense of it all and just enjoy each wonderfully absurd moment. Then let your brain work it over for a decade.

This is unforgettable for its avatars of loneliness: for the vast emptiness of the Patagonian landscape, for the hero Fergus's single-minded devotion to his ambition, for its haunting solo Spanish guitar, for Daniel Day-Lewis's soulful rendering of an Irish folk song without musical accompaniment, and for Estella, the lovely cold-weather star of solitude. These forms of singleness are poetic expressions of a loneliness that must strike a chord in us all.

I first saw this at the 1986 Toronto Film Festival, and since then I think not a week has passed where I haven't thought about this film at least once. Thank you Carlos Sorin, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Mirjana Jokovic for this little gem.