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77 out of 95 people found the following comment useful :- Great ensemble piece, 14 September 2004 Author: terrywdhs from United Kingdom
I just got back from a holiday in Toronto where I had the pleasure of attending the film festival there. One of the films I ended up seeing was Haven, which I knew very little about beforehand. What an absolute gem of a movie it turned out to be. Similar in structure to Amores Perros, the tale unfolds from different perspectives. All actors played their parts well but there were three who deserve special mention. Victor Razuk as Fritz and Zoe Saldana as Andrea are definite names to watch in future. However, Orlando Bloom was the real genuine surprise here. I don't think I have seen a more heartbreaking performance all year. The disintegration of his character - Shy - provides much of the emotional centre of Frank E. Flowers gripping first feature length movie. He is a director who is going to be talked about a great deal in the years to come. All in all , I would have no hesitation in recommending this powerful, though somewhat dark movie, to any discerning film-goer.
59 out of 74 people found the following comment useful :- Flowers' Film Blooms, 13 September 2004 Author: tranquility_girl
I also saw the world premiere of Haven on Saturday at the Toronto film fest and all I can say is that I was completely blown away by it. I don't know what I was expecting when I went into the theatre but what I got was something that kept my interest peaked through out the entire two hours and had me filled with questions until the very end. Every actor involved in Haven was perfectly chosen and held their own with spectacular performances. Personally, I think that Bill Paxton is at the top of his game right now and Orlando Bloom is just to die for as Shy, a young fisherman on the Island. Zoe Saldana had me in tears with her performance and I can't wait to see it again when it finally comes to theaters. I think it's fair to say that Haven will put Frank E. Flowers on the map and he has earned it with this movie. Unbelievable. I loved it.
48 out of 60 people found the following comment useful :- "Traffic" with a touch of Quentin Tarantino, 14 September 2004 Author: Tiedyedaisy from Toronto, Canada
I saw the second screening of this film, at the Toronto Film Festival. It reminded me a little bit like the film "Traffic" with a hint of Quentin Tarantino. The movie threads together multiple story lines and shifts back and forth through time. Bill Paxton has a great performance as a shady business man who escapes with this daughter to the Cayman Islands. Orlando Bloom's character is the most endearing. I found I could relate to his character the most. Shy (Bloom) was the classic boy from the wrong side of the tracks, who is completely in love with the rich girl, Andrea (Zoe Saldana). Zoe Saldana has a great performance as well. Her character goes from a sweet girl who makes a complete 180 turn to a druggie /(how to put this politically correct) very easy girl.Overall I really enjoyed the movie. Frank E. Flowers did a really great job with his debut. The story was really intriguing and the setting was beautiful. A really well done film.
40 out of 61 people found the following comment useful :- Brilliant cultural view, 5 July 2005 Author: Elf_Addict from United States
I count myself lucky to have been able to see this movie at the Toronto Film Festival where it premiered. I thought the movie to be a brilliant look at the culture, something we as Americans don't usually see. The acting was wonderful from everyone in it. I enjoyed the way it was edited together, following separate story lines individually, then bringing them together in the end. I was completely surprised that this film was not immediately grabbed up and sent to screens everywhere. Then again, perhaps it was just too deep for some. I had no trouble following the action, although I've heard comments that some people found it confusing. Perhaps they weren't paying attention...Hopefully without giving anything away for those who haven't seen it yet... I felt so terribly bad for Shy at the end of the movie.I can't wait for Haven to hit big screens everywhere. I want all my friends to see it! BRAVO to everyone involved in its production.Pat GrantUPDATE (Oct. 2006): I see Haven is FINALLY coming to theatres... However I have heard that the movie went through a MAJOR re-edit and is a lot different that the version we saw in Toronto. I'm sorry to hear that. But I will go see it and support it, no matter what. It has a great cast.
25 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :- Choppy seas don't always mean a rough ride, 20 June 2005 Author: Robert Yacht from Parts Unknown
I am glad to hear that this film will finally be released, albeit on DVD. I saw 'Haven' at the Toronto film festival and have been awaiting it's release ever since. I did think that the film was a bit choppy, which was mildly distracting, but that the overall ride was great. In following up his critically acclaimed short 'Swallow' with 'Haven', his feature film debut, Frankie Flowers proves that he is more than capable of writing and directing a full length film.While it is a difficult task to jump back and forth in a timeline, from sub plot to sub plot, while keeping an audience interested; entertained; and able to follow, I believe that Flowers has done a splendid job despite sacrificing some of the continuity for stylistic shot making. Tarantino has tried, despite box office success, somewhat in vain in this regard for years. Movies such as Magnolia have come along and disappointed and perhaps the only film in recent years to truly excel in this style was Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's '21 grams'.With strong performances from an ensemble cast of well known Hollywood stars and unknown local talent, 'Haven' is well acted from start to finish. Orlando Bloom leads the way with an excellent performance as the going nowhere fast 'shy', and proves that he can portray a modern day man between timepiece and fantasy blockbusters. Dare I say he would be better off, from an acting portfolio sense, taking on more of these roles.I highly recommend 'Haven', especially in this age of over the top; special effects no plot movies. I hope that Flowers continues to be given opportunities to hone his craft and I look forward to his next piece.
16 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :- Writing, Directing, Acting all Shine in Haven, 25 August 2006 Author: greendog123 from United States
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
I attended a press screening of Haven on August 24, 2006. Here is my review: Producer Robbie Brenner, after reading the script for Haven, told Frank E. Flowers, writer and director, "I'll quit my job if you let me produce this movie." Many people couldn't believe the person who had written Haven was only 24 years old. Orlando Bloom (cast as Shy) was so taken by the script that he signed on to produce as well. He didn't, however, sign on to portray Fritz, the role he was initially offered. "I loved the script, but the role I most responded to was the character of Shy, who at the time was written as a young Caymanian kid about 15 years old," recalls Bloom, who was reluctant for Flowers to change the integrity of the script, but curious to see how he could do it. "I was amazed. In literally 48 hours, Frank came back with another script in which Shy had redeveloped into a character I could play. I knew right then that if he could do something like that, I wanted to work with him." At the time only 27 years old himself, Bloom also made his first foray in the producing role. "It was exciting to start at the bottom of a film and work your way through it, to really roll up your sleeves and get involved," he said. "It really made me emotionally connected to the movie, so much so that it became part of me." After seeing the movie tonight, I too, was astounded that such a complex story was so well told by such a filmmaker, and a producer/actor, both of whom were still a few years shy (no pun intended) of 30.Let me state up front, I didn't attend the initial screening of Haven in 2004 at the Toronto International Film Festival so I'm unable to offer any comparisons of the earlier version of the film to the 98 minute version screened tonight. I've heard there's been some possible re-tooling and editing done since 2004. If so, the result is a tight, fast-paced multi-plot film replete with irony and more twists and turns than the complicated financial system of the island.Flowers says he doesn't consider himself a historian or a sociologist, but he does know his way around the islands and a great deal about the rich texture of its culture. That knowledge and experience is evident when watching the film, as we're shown various locations around the islands, from glitzy vacation villas, to smoky food vendor stalls along unpaved roads, to the party spots where wealthy "off-shore visitors" come together with the island's underground drug/crime royalty to party, to a dusty schoolyard, to the humble home of a fisherman.The film is classic non-linear, multi-plot. The two stories, one a love story, the other a crime story, wind their way around each other in space, character, and time. While it would appear at first glance that Andrea (played beautifully by Zoe Saldana) and Shy, the main characters of the love story, have nothing in common with Carl Ridley (played well by Bill Paxton) and Mr. Allen (played by Stephen Dillane with a brilliant sense of wit and white-collar villainy), one discovers, as the story progresses, that they, as well as other supporting characters in both stories, are all flawed, broken people. Even though they are surrounded by the beauty of a tropical paradise, the refuge they seek appears to be just beyond their grasp."What attracted me to the story is that all of the characters in it are broken, and subject to the tragic consequences of their actions," observed Saldana. "They all had flaws, and whether they were victims of circumstances of because of the choices they made, they were very real because of their imperfections." The movie's cast is a refreshing combination of Hollywood veterans and local Caymanians who were recruited, auditioned, and trained for several supporting roles in the film. This resulted in a delicious infusion of local Cayman culture into over 30 speaking roles.The role of Shy provided Orlando the opportunity to show new freedom and depth in his craft, perhaps to a degree never before seen. Certainly, being liberated from the restrictions of working with a sword helped. He does have two other contemporary films under his belt; The Calcium Kid, shot before Haven, and Elizabethtown, shot after Haven. While both films were delightful, I still think he brings more passion and spirit to this film. We see a wider range of emotions, from tender love and hope, to humiliation and shame, emotional withdrawal, rage, confusion, and despair, to name only a few. It is acting in its purest state, and he shines in it.The film, in my opinion, is gripping, edgy, hip, tragic, complex, beautifully scripted, and wonderfully acted. The non-linear time shifts that Flowers employs may be perplexing to some. However, I found it served only to keep my eyes riveted to the screen. It's the kind of movie that requires your full attention. You'll want to put down your bucket of popcorn so you don't miss anything.
12 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :- Entwined Lives on a Friday, 13th, 17 November 2007 Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In Cayman Island, the daughter of a powerful man - Andrea (Zoe Saldana) - and the fisherman Shy (Orlando Bloom) are in a deep but secret love, hidden from Andrea's parents. When Andrea's father sails in a fish-trip, they have a night of love at Andrea's home; however they sleep and are surprised by the arrival of her family in the morning. Later, Andrea's brother Hammer (Anthony Mackie) throws acid on the face of Shy and spends four months in prison. In Miami, the dirty businessman Carl Ridley (Bill Paxton) is chased by Federal agents and escapes with his teenage daughter Pippa (Agnes Bruckner) to Cayman Island trying to reach his lawyer Mr. Allen (Stephen Dillane). Pippa meets the small time thief Fritz (Victor Rasuk) sleeping in her room and he invites her to go a party. Before leaving the condo, Fritz sees Carl counting lots of money. Fritz owes money to the dangerous drug dealer Richie Rich (Razaaq Adoti) and tells him about the fortune Carl has. Along a Friday 13th night, their lives entwine in a chain of tragic events."Haven" is an entertaining movie, with a complex non-linear screenplay with many characters that have their lives entwined. There are many credible sub-plots and considering the running time of 99 minutes, the situations and characters are very well-developed. The direction and acting are great, there are many beautiful locations but the screenplay is really top-notch. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Haven"
18 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :- A stunning thrill ride through the wild youths and the crazed underground of Grand Cayman, 24 September 2006 Author: Billie Bryan (Smile1902) from Cayman Islands
Speaking as a native Caymanian, I have to say I was especially impressed with this film. When news first got out of its production, I was sincerely hoping that it wouldn't amount to some lengthy, picturesque video brochure to attract further tourists to the island and, low and behold, it's anything but.Haven is a gritty, fierce yet picturesque portrayal of realism surrounding Cayman's underground subcultures. From love to drugs to violence, Flowers and his team perform an astounding delivery of these themes through the use of raw, powerful drama, all the while winding around a multitude of heinous plots that grow and intertwine to the point of cataclysm. Brilliant.Flowers is making a name for himself alright. And I'll be adding this thrill ride to my collection as soon as it hits DVD. Not jut because I'm a fellow Caymanian but because I consider this to be a great movie.
23 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :- Pulp Fiction goes to the islands, 12 September 2004 Author: mrisman (mrisman) from Toronto
I saw this film at the world premiere last night at the Toronto Film Festival. It was a crime drama told in the non-linear style made famous by Tarantino. What really made this movie stand out from like-themed movies, was it's setting in the Cayman Islands. The culture of the Caymans is evident in every shot, every frame, and it give an entirely fresh perspective on subjects we've visited before.Frank E. Flowers does a fantastic job of keeping the story coherent as we alternate between two timelines, set four months apart. The acting is strong and the entire film has a distinctive atmosphere.The crowd seemed to love it, but then again, the entire cast was present and the audience was quite excited (especially by Orlando Bloom). Still, a very good movie. It seemed like it may have been a little long, perhaps ten minutes or so, but that really came from trying to establish the Caymanian culture, so it's understandable.
20 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :- Haven is one stylishly cool flick!, 2 March 2006 Author: yougotherefast from Toronto, Canada
I saw this when it was screened at the Toronto Film Festival, and thought that it was brilliant. The style of the film is original and beautiful. The dialogue was great, the characters, create, and the feeling of chaos and tragedy effective. It's really unfortunate that Flowers is having such trouble trying to distribute the film; it is a genuine indie gem. With a great soundtrack, cinematography (absolutely brilliant), acting (big names too), and archetypal tragic theme, I am continually surprised that Haven hasn't been picked up by anyone. Though I haven't seen it in nearly two years, its beauty and surprisingly honest (un-hollywoodised) story and characters have stuck with me. If this movie goes unreleased and remains unseen, it will be a great loss.
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