Hearts in Atlantis

A nostalgic film set in small town America of the 1960s about maturation and the loss of innocence. Bobby is an eleven-year-old boy feeling the stigma of being from a financially strapped one-parent family. One summer a mysterious boarder Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) comes to live in the upstairs part of the house and wins over Bobby, if not his suspicious mother, Liz. It is gradually revealed that Ted has psychic powers and sinister men in dark suits are pursuing him. Bobby, in need of a father figure, is drawn into Ted’s confidence, working for him, and absorbing Ted’s wisdom. Ted assists Bobby with difficult life matters - his first kiss, trust in others, and lessons in disappointment. Structured as a flashback, “Hearts in Atlantis” has a tone not unlike a darkly themed episode of “The Wonder years.” Hicks peppers a pedestrian screenplay, laden with symbolic diatribes, with 60s hits, an expressive score, and an eye for period detail. Hope Davis puts in an understated performance as Liz - a woman who struggles with her financial situation, whilst fending off her lecherous boss. Directed by Scott Hicks (Shine, Snow falling on cedars).