This
low budget drama follows Jackson as Duncan, the angry loser of his
rundown Minneapolis neighborhood, who blames his inability to keep a
job on losing his father ten years earlier.
Making
ends meet by "loaning" his apartment out to his brother (a safe haven
to bring his girlfriends to so his wife won't find out) Duncan
soon takes on a job as a handyman in an apartment complex that
allows him to be
near his terminally ill grandfather Ronald (a stroke ridden Donald
Sutherland), who is proving to be more
than a handful for his grandmother Ruth.
Sensing Duncan needs
more than a job to keep him occupied, his grandparents set him up with
their free spirited nurse Kate (Juliette Lewis). The romance soon
blossoms, while his grandfather's health deteriorates, and soon Duncan
faces one tough decision:
Stay with his Grandfather, or follow love to California.
While this is by no means new territory for drama, there is a great deal of charm which oozes from Aurora Borealis,
thanks largely to some superb performances from Jackson, Sutherland and
Lewis. Jackson is just so likable and charming here, but you can sense
a darker side to him which makes the character all the more real.
Funny
and touching in equal parts, the sense of suburban reality captured by
director James Burke is nothing short of a delight to watch.
If
only more people recognised the abilities of Jackson, Hollywood might
churn out a hell of a lot more watchable material like this - but until
then - we will have to hunt down little known gems like Aurora Borealis if only to see what good film making can be.
DVD EXTRAS
This
came out in the US as a very limited release, so not surprisingly there
isn't much by way of Special Features here. That aside, it's not the
sort of movie that would really benefit from having a fluffy
Behind-The-Scenes featurette thrown onto the end anyway.
Check it out at the local DVD store, well worth renting on a Friday night in.
Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: N/A 
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