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Is Anybody There?

Is Anybody There?

Drama · 2009

A young boy who lives in an old folks' home strikes up a friendship with a retired magician.

Movie details

Is Anybody There?

2009 Drama 1h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

A young boy who lives in an old folks' home strikes up a friendship with a retired magician.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Is Anybody There??

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Man Without a Face

The Man Without a Face

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Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town after his face is disfigured from an automobile accident ten years earlier, in which a boy was incinerated--and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Also suspected of being a paedophile, he is befriended by Chuck, causing the town's suspicions and hostility to be ignited.

Everybody's Fine

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Penguin Bloom

Penguin Bloom

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When an unlikely ally enters the Bloom family's world in the form of an injured baby magpie they name Penguin, the bird’s arrival makes a profound difference in the struggling family’s life.

Fathers and Daughters

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A Pulitzer-winning writer grapples with being a widower and father after a mental breakdown, while, 27 years later, his grown daughter struggles to forge connections of her own.

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Phoebe in Wonderland

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The Judge

The Judge

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Nowhere Special

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Drama · 2020

John, a 35-year-old window cleaner, has dedicated his life to bringing up his 4-year-old son, Michael, after the child's mother left them soon after giving birth. When John is given only a few months left to live, he attempts to find a new, perfect family for Michael, determined to shield him from the terrible reality of the situation.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Crowley

Written by

Peter Harness

Michael Caine

Michael Caine

Clarence

Bill Milner

Bill Milner

Edward

David Morrissey

David Morrissey

Dad

Anne-Marie Duff

Anne-Marie Duff

Mum

Rosemary Harris

Rosemary Harris

Elsie

Ralph Riach

Ralph Riach

Clive

Linzey Cocker

Linzey Cocker

Tanya

Court is in session

Put Is Anybody There? on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.