Pilgrim, Farewell

Michael Roemer revisits themes from his documentary *Dying*, this time in the form of a feature film, and turns the emotional dynamic on its head. Whereas the people in Dying, whose lives are drawing to a close, showed no discernible anger themselves, unlike their relatives, Kate, who is terminally ill with cancer, attempts in Pilgrim, Farewell to come to terms with her anger towards the world and those close to her as she and her family spend the end of the summer in Vermont. With its restrained direction, a single setting and a small cast, Pilgrim, Farewell could be described not only as an intimate drama but even as a small symphony. Roemer’s sensitive and calm psychological realism is reminiscent of John Cassavetes in its emotional intensity, and of Eric Rohmer in its casual style. (J.P.)