In the story, Norman and Paul are about as different as two brothers can be. Paul is always looking for exciting alternatives in life, while Norman is content to follow the safer path. Meanwhile, their strict father, a Presbyterian minister, finds it difficult to communicate with either of his children. Yet for all these differences, each family member goes out of his or her (they have a mother, too) way to try and avoid conflict with each other. Norman, especially, does all he can to protect Paul, to the point where Paul never has to deal with the consequences for his actions until it's too late.

This film does a beautiful job of showing how a family will react to save a wayward child. It allows you to understand how what seems to be illogical decisions are justified through the distorted view of family love.

The film contains a small amount of violence and some sexual situations, including one short scene where another couple is discovered asleep in the grass. The take with the nudity is short, with the two of them offering a full rear view. However, my main concern with the film was the language. Like many other movies, you wonder if the story benefits from the selection of words offered.

There is a good message in this movie, although at times it is subtle. If you feel it is worth grinding through the language, River is a movie which demands repeated viewing in order to really understand what it is trying to say.

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Rod Gustafson

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