Review of December

December (1991)
7/10
Reasonable, although probably better suited to the stage
5 December 2003
Set on the night after the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941, this film follows the decisions of five young men faced with the prospect of going to war. An unusual film, set mainly in school dormitories, and essentially dependant solely on dialogue, one is under the impression that this is a film that may lend itself better to the stage than the screen, although the film set is remarkably impressive and is enhanced by the dim lighting associated with the period. That said, this film isn't really about war, nor is about impressive sets. It is simply the story of five students, who in the space of one night, make some heavy decisions which could have far reaching consequences on their futures. A largely likeable cast make the film enjoyable enough, although for the casual viewer, it is a very intense film, and does tend to be rather claustrophobic. Despite the lengthy dialogue, the film is well scripted and this is probably as well, as the subject matter is in retrospect somewhat simplistic, and some might say idealistic. The film has shades of Dead Poets Society scattered around, although the subject matter is quite different, and it stands it's ground well as a good Coming of Age/Period Drama. It is evident that a great deal of attention has been paid to the costume design, music and sets, to make this a convincing period film, and the sepia tones of the film print enhance this effect even more. On the whole the film is well casted, with good performances by all the cast, that said Chris Young's character is on the whole decidedly irritating, although I suspect this is entirely intentional. If you can track down a copy of this film it is well worth seeing, although for the UK audience it has not been released for general sale, and can be extremely difficult to find.
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