Square Dance

An absolutely adorable little sleeper, Daniel Petrie's film of Alan Hines' novel features some of the best performances of the year. At the top of that list is Winona Ryder, playing the role of 13-year old Gemma, who lives alone with her crotchety grandfather (Jason Robards). When her long-lost mother (Jane Alexander) shows up one day from the big city to claim her, Gemma refuses to accompany her...for the moment. When conflicts between her and her grandfather escalate, Gemma strikes out for Fort Worth, where she gets a taste of her mother's lifestyle, and develops a relationship with a mentally disturbed boy (a surprisingly good performance from brat-packer Rob Lowe). Square Dance is a film that resonates with real human emotion: the scars of adolescence, the injustice of prejudice, the fears of growing old and of forming attachments, and the pains of loss. In addition to Ryder's stand-out performance, Jane Alexander is excellent in the truly challenging and complex role of Gemma's mother: a woman caught between the traditional human need for stability and responsibility, and her own self-destructive urges. A powerful film that subtly runs the gamut of the noble and the ignoble in human beings. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--April 8, 2003--Anchor Bay, 112 min., PG-13, $19.98--Although recently making headlines for taking five-finger discounts in a ritzy department store, Winona Ryder was cute as a button in her 1987 debut. Fifteen years later, Square Dance still holds up well on a DVD that--a little disappointingly--only sports an average transfer, with a fair amount of grain and fuzziness. On the plus side, however, the disc features an interesting, if decidedly low-key, audio commentary by director Daniel Petrie, who fields good questions from Anchor Bay's Perry Martin. Bottom line: While the transfer is less than sparkling, this is still well worth picking up.]