Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

This is the first time I have been moved to write a review immediately after seeing a film. "The Wait" is well-titled, because I kept waiting for this thing to get to the point - any point. Other reviewers are seeing artful imagery. I'm seeing self-indulgent clichés. We see film shot out of a car, from the side window, as the scenery flies by too fast to make out. We hear dialog delivered with unneeded, meaningless pauses that seem to be there just to slow things down even more than they already were. We see a tantrum of a phone conversation that makes no sense whatsoever, never explained, and not contributing to the plot, such as it is. Or isn't. Finally, the credits rolled, and I sat there for a moment, wondering what in the world was the point? So there's the spoiler, folks. Nothing. Happens. I can almost hear the makers of this film laughing "made ya look!"

Emily Dickenson said something about knowing she'd encountered a true poem if it took the top of her head off, or something like that. I know I've encountered a real film, when immediately after the credits have rolled I need to watch it again. M. Blash's "The Wait" is one of those for sure. There was a moment when the sound changed and the image cut to an eerie moon, fire- orange and smoke-black, the clouds moving like a haunting. There was something Kubrick there. And again in the twinning of the blond mother and daughter pair, after a desperate trip to town, which culminated in twin curled coifs. I also loved the primal backdrop of fire, floral light piercing a cave's interior, a herd of horses running, a girl running, a girl dancing. I will put this on the list of my favorite films this year, which also includes Lars Von Trier's "Nymphomaniac" and "Blue is The Warmest Color".

For starters, Sevigny and Malone look more like sisters than many actual sisters, adding more affect than one might expect. The introduction to THE WAIT is great, it's subtle yet captivating and anyone who's gone through the experience of a like death (usually the big "C" involving a parent or grandparent) will immediately pick up on the chilling vibe. From there we begin a trip with the three bereaving children, beautifully encased in a gorgeous Oregon setting that is alternately threatening, benign, active and sterile. Sevigny does her usual wonderful turn, herein as sort of a passive-aggressive sister. Was unfamiliar with Malone, who steals the show. Young brother also engrossing. On one hand, captivating this film is!; i.e., to the point that the viewer (certainly THIS viewer) may become indifferent to whether the major plot item - mom's dead! - is even resolved. On this thought I was almost disappointed at the head scratching, curious attempt at resolution at the very end. Yes there are plot lines and characters aplenty completely untreated when the credits begin to roll. But the virtual submersion into THE WAITS' atmosphere leads me to recommend a watching. PS/The comparison to a David Lynch film; e.g., both the ambiguity and the TWIN PEAKS setting, comes to mind, though those put off by Lynch's strangeness, violence, etc., need not fear herein.

A talented newcomer on the scene has utilized the language of film to demonstrate a sophisticated and engrossing portrait of a family falling into dysfunction, yet struggling to hold themselves together. Unable to deal with the passing of her mother, a young woman named Emma, hears a voice on the phone telling her to wait, "they will return." Of course, this is something that she interprets as a sign that her mother will return from the dead. Why not? It seems perfectly reasonable. Oddly enough, her sister Angela, incredulous at first, reluctantly goes along with the fantasy. That starts the mystery -- why would two such upper class twits allow themselves to believe in this modern fairy tale? Once you buy the concept, and are willing to suspend your disbelief, you become lulled in by the sumptuous images, the endless wandering through the woods, and odd behavior by otherwise normal people. The cinematography is outstanding for a low-budget project such as this, with stunning shots of a wildfire (apparently it was shot sometime during a massive fire in Oregon), and the shots of the planes flying over, dropping long clouds of pinkish fire retardant are strangely beautiful.Chloe Sevigny as Emma performs exactly as expected, she sells the idea wholeheartedly. Jena Malone, as the sister supposedly with her head together, is less believable, but does manage to convey the baffling contrast between someone who doesn't for a moment believe in the idea of resurrection, yet is willing to give in for the sake of keeping her sister happy. She develops an outside interest in a man-boy named Ben, who has a poet's soul, but who cannot seem to penetrate whatever barriers she has constructed (we never find out exactly why).There are a couple of minor subplots, one of which involves a younger brother and one of the other neighbor boys, but it is given short shrift and then tossed on the back burner, which is a shame, since it would have added some much needed interest outside of the two main characters.There is also some professional work done by a young girl named Lana Green, who has a small but dynamic role as Emma's daughter, and should be a leading actress in another 10 years.Overall, a few plot lines get lost, and some of the lines make no sense whatsoever, but the beautiful shots more than make up for the shortcomings.