John Sayles 1999 drama, Limbo, is a fabulous film on many levels. It has a great cast that works well together, beautiful cinematography, a snappy script with clever dialogue, and most important, solid character development. The film's plot is almost incidental in this actor-driven film about characters. Yet, at the same time, the plot is also quite involving and intriguing.
The plot is one we've seen before, in other incarnations, several times. The idea of being 'lost in the wilderness' and learning to rely on oneself seems to attract authors and screenwriters - it is the time of self discovery and of inner turmoil. Yet Sayles does not let his film fall into the crevice of predictability; instead, he uses his characters' isolation to play out the development that grew in the early part of the film without letting them fall into easily codified places. In other words, they don't change so much as to seem unrealistic.
Also at play in Limbo are the politics of the area, of Alaska. The idea is that the world around them is both unforgiving and bountiful, both beautiful and harsh. The subtext of the fishing industry as brutal slaughter and symbiotic relationship and the lightly touched-upon theme of Alaska as a place to take advantage of are both crucial to the film's commentary. Sayles' depiction of the salmon drowning in the shallow water is a perfect metaphor for the characters in the film - both living off the environment and at its mercy as well.
The secondary characters echo the salmon metaphor. Among the first characters that we're introduced to are two women who have moved to Alaska either to get away or to go somewhere. They've come to Alaska, but are fighting not to be taken advantage of, by the environment or by the people. The unemployed fisherman who has lost his boat is also like one of those salmon, trying to keep moving, to keep swimming as the water shallows around him.
The dynamic between Joe Gastineau (David Strathairn) and Donna DeAngelo (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) is the main focus of the film. Both are people who, again like the salmon, are struggling just to stay afloat. Joe's "dark and moody" self-reflective personality is in contrast to Donna's "move in with each man she meets" attitude. They are almost polar opposites, but as the film begins, Joe has already started to look at himself and change. In their interaction, each sees some of what they want to be. As I wrote earlier, their interaction very well thought out and developed.
One of the things I like most about Sayles' script is the way he (seemed to) capture the feelings of people in Alaska. In depicting them as struggling against the wilderness, themselves, and each other, he also showed the mindset they share to be both a little disturbing (to the outsider) and almost like kinship. The scene during which the locals of the town are talking about their friends who have died at the hands of nature is most telling in that respect.
In all, Limbo is a fantastic film. The characters are involving and the plot is well thought out and thorough. The subtexts of the film present interesting messages without being heavy-handed. This definitely ranks with the best films of 1999. While Joe and Donna may be in the place of transition and stasis, the film certainly isn't in Limbo.