Dakota Fanning Comes Of Age

Dakota Fanning Comes Of Age In The Film, “Now Is Good” – My Mini-Review

We have a 16 year old girl who knows that she will die of leukemia, and there is nothing that anybody can do about it at all. What could possibly be worse than that?

In the film, "Now Is Good," this is what we are confronted with. For many years with millions of others, I have watched Dakota Fanning literally grow up on screen. I know that in this film she is an actress playing a character, but that doesn't necessarily make it that much easier to watch. She is a very good actress, and here I was very surprised: She is not the typical movie character who faces this catastrophe with an unflinching smile; who is ready to take that long walk in to the abyss like a true, "hero." Her character is HUMAN......and at times her short lived, permanent dilemma makes her angry, confused, anxious, with a myriad of many emotions that only she can cover in this film. It makes her act out with some of the things that she wants to do on her bucket list which no young person should ever have to write. I have to say something about the marketing of this film, at least for the DVD release. Of course, the main thing that they advertise is that Tessa want's to lose her virginity before her time runs out. There is not much about that in this film, and there shouldn't be when compared to the fact that by today's standards, her life will be shortened by over 60 years.

Dakota's character Tessa is English with a perfect English accent to top off her whole performance. When I discovered that, I asked myself why they just did not hire an English actress to play the role. Ten minutes in to this film, I had my answer. This is an astonishing performance by our National Treasure, Dakota who is now just barely a post-kid. This may be her finest film statement so far. I never thought that I would ever use this phrase about Dakota, but it is a Dakota Fanning tour de force. I could have easily seen her getting a nomination for an academy award for this, but now we know that did not happen.

The great thing about this film, and the performance is that at no time did I feel manipulated. I never felt like it's goal was to make the viewer cry like so many similar ones. It is not a, "Tear Jerker" in that regard. Sometimes the burst of emotions that a film can produce are not necessarily intended. It just naturally happens. That is why in a film with a performance like this one, that emotional break happens so easily. - At least it did for me.

"Death Be Not Proud." - John Gunther
So many things in life are not fair......and so it is with The Academy.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1937264/