Dragonfly
Love message from beyond
Ghost stories are no new in the world of cinema. From “Wuthering Heights” (USA, 1939) to “The Sixth Sense” (USA, 1999), through “Beetlejuice (USA, 1988) and “Always” (USA, 1989), many scares and laughs have already been provoked by the spirits, explicit or subtended. But, what happens when dead try to communicate with their loved ones through third parties? And, when the intermediaries are not mediums, but people on the verge of death? This is the curious situation presented by “Dragonfly” (USA, 2002), a drama starring Kevin Costner.
Costner’s character is Joe Darrow, a doctor whose wife had died in a crash in the jungle South America without her body never being found. Amid the pain and confusion of loss, he begins to realize that strange facts are occurring around him, especially with terminally ill patients. The plot combines elements of mystery, suspense and love, with a touch of horror, holding the viewer’s attention to a totally unexpected end.
In addition to fun, “Draqgonfly” brings a message so that it can understand that the pain of losing a loved one is concerned with his own mortality or what might exist after death.
The script plays with the spectator’s distrust, making him see the facts through Joe’s perspective, sometimes confused by strange events, sometimes discovering “evidences” that these events are tricks. These mysterious events – moving objects, signs of patients who have survived near-fatal experiences and strange voices, end up convincing him that his wife is trying to contact him.
However, the movie keeps in a growing number of increasingly emotional situations, culminating in a journey into the Amazon jungle, in search of the spirit of the beloved woman. It is curious how the story moves from the suspense genre to adventure and romance, without a sudden transition.
Despite Costner’s limitations, this seems to be the perfect role for him. Confused and tormented, the character wanders through life in search of answers to his questions. It is the ideal character for an actor who does not change his expression, whatever the films he acts . Unfortunately, the great Kathy Bates, winner of the well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress, in 1991, for “Misery” (USA, 1990), is restricted to a secondary role.
A curiosity about this film is that the actor initially considered was Harrison Ford, who refused because he wanted to be away from the screen for a year. In addition, Ford has had his share of the supernatural in “What Lies Beneath” (USA, 2000), alongside Michele Pffeifer.
“Dragonfly” was accomplished with a budget of $ 60 million, relatively low by Hollywood standards. The film raised only 30 million dollars in the United States and, interestingly, it attracted a bigger public here in Brazil, with 472 thousand paying and one and a half million in Spain!
Director Tom Shadyac had came from several well-known comedies, such as “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” (USA, 1994), “The Nutty Professor” (USA, 1996) and “Liar, Liar” (USA, 1997). He also directed the drama “Patch Adams” (USA, 1998), and would return to comedies with “Bruce Almighty” (USA, 2003) and “Evan Almighty”, USA, 2007).
For those who like physical media, this film was released on DVD with the original cinema screen format and soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, both in English and Portuguese. The American edition also featured soundtrack in DTS, deleted scenes, Making Of, and a documentary with writer Betty Eadie, about her experience on the brink of death. It is possible that this movie can be found on one of the many streaming services available to the viewer.