The Waterdance

Don’t let the subjectthe interactions of three men (Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, and William Forsythe) at a physical rehabilitation centerscare you away from one of the most intelligent, sensitive, serious, subtle, and gripping American movies of 1992. Directed by Neal Jimenez and Michael Steinberg from an excellent script by Jimenez (who wrote River’s Edge and cowrote For the Boys), this eschews the usual sentimental tactics for an honest look at what paraplegics have to deal with practically, sexually, and emotionally. Stoltz plays a novelist with a devoted girlfriend (Helen Hunt) married to someone else; Snipes is a hard-living teller of tales with a disintegrating marriage; Forsythe is a racist biker. All three actors are uncommonly good at keeping their characters unpredictable and lifelike. Elizabeth Pe

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