MovieChat Forums > Fly Away Home (1996) Discussion > Is it just me or...

Is it just me or...

posted 12 years ago by Sandol70
7 replies | jump to latest

... does Fly Away Home move you as much as me? I mean I've seen thousands of movies from the 1930s to nowadays movies. But no other comes even close to:

- the magical, enchanting, quiet, silent, and subtle atmosphere
- the uplifting theme of the movie with the message that "life is beautiful and worthwhle, never give up, follow your dreams and make them come true!"
- love and respect for nature, your family and animals without being corny
- absence of love-interest story which is a big plus if you ask me
- the amazing americana-style setting and gorgeous soundtrack by Mark Isham which is absolutely tearjerking and moving
- great, well played and good-humored characters, almost no baddies and no macho talk
- very beautiful cinematography, autumn never looked more beautiful in Canada and North America
- and of course the noble geese.

I'm getting very emotional everytime I see the movie, tears flowing down my face. Almost no other movie triggers that in me. I'm 34 male and I stand by it. ;)

What do you think?

[–] Ditto-head 12 years ago

On one hand, the haughty hippie tree hugger attitudes were irritating at times- but I love this movie. The cast was so perfect, and natural. The characters were believeable. And the last five minutes or so- when she's flying alone, and they're waiting... with that song playing, then "She's coming! She's coming!" and she comes over that hill... Niagra Falls, Frankie.

[–] Sandol70 12 years ago

Thanks for your reply. :) Yes, you're so right, the cast is so natural and authenic. The scene you described is one of the scenes that moved me the most. How can you not cry at the opening and the last 5-10 minutes of the movie when Amy's flying. 10,000 miles is a very agitating song. Goosebumps! Pun intended. ;)

Also, during the credits roll there's a very nice country-like song composed by Mark Isham. I have nothing against these tree hugger / eco messages in the movie. It's never wrong to care about nature and animals.

[–] DaDevster 12 years ago

No, no, no, I feel the exact same way. Very few movies have managed to affect or move me like Fly Away Home does, and even just thinking about it gets me emotional.

I was born in 1993 and when I was a kid this was one of the only VHS tapes we owned. I watched it a lot when I was young which really helped cement this movie as a part of my childhood. I spent my childhood in southern Ontario, which is where this movie is set, and so a lot of this movie's landscapes and vistas are incredibly familiar to me. That scene near the beginning at sunrise where Amy's dad is testing out his glider reminds me so much of summers as a kid spent waking up early, going out into the fields and exploring the world.

The soundtrack is incredible. When I close my eyes and listen to it, I'm instantly transported back to being a kid, going camping in the summer, swimming in lakes, running around with my friends. It's heartbreaking for me because it makes me so desperately wish that, more than anything, I could go back and relive that youth, to feel what it was like to be that kid one more time, carefree and without the weight of the world constantly pressing on my shoulders. Back when my parents still loved each other, many of the people I loved were still alive, and when each new summer day meant seeing something for the first time.

Anyway. You get what I mean.

[–] Sandol70 12 years ago

Very great comment from you, DaDevster, and wise words coming from such a young man. You remind me of myself so much as well. I also wished I could travel back to the 80s which was my youth, when the old friends of mine and friends of the family were still visiting us and me and we had such a splendid time. Nowadays, nobody has time anymore, everyone followes his/her career/job, no time to go outside into the fields and flying the kite (just to bring an example). I really miss those days. When Christmas and birthdays were really something special and exciting. You perfectly described it.

Yes, the scene where Amy's dad is testing his glider for the first time, and the sun is rising, we see the geese on the water, and that fantastic music, that fiddle, I get tears in my eyes. That's pure freedom, flying the glider airly, esp together with the geese, leaving all these small insignificant problems we humans have, behind, on the ground. The geese really teach us that, we can learn a lot from these wise creatures.

[–] avlis-nec 9 years ago

- the magical, enchanting, quiet, silent, and subtle atmosphere
- the uplifting theme of the movie with the message that "life is beautiful and worthwhle, never give up, follow your dreams and make them come true!"
- love and respect for nature, your family and animals without being corny
- absence of love-interest story which is a big plus if you ask me
- the amazing americana-style setting and gorgeous soundtrack by Mark Isham which is absolutely tearjerking and moving
- great, well played and good-humored characters, almost no baddies and no macho talk
- very beautiful cinematography, autumn never looked more beautiful in Canada and North America
- and of course the noble geese.

101% true

[–] Sandol70 8 years ago

Thanks! :)

[–] CaptainCrozier (620) 4 years ago

- the magical, enchanting, quiet, silent, and subtle atmosphere
- the uplifting theme of the movie with the message that "life is beautiful and worthwhle, never give up, follow your dreams and make them come true!"
- love and respect for nature, your family and animals without being corny
- absence of love-interest story which is a big plus if you ask me
- the amazing americana-style setting and gorgeous soundtrack by Mark Isham which is absolutely tearjerking and moving
- great, well played and good-humored characters, almost no baddies and no macho talk
- very beautiful cinematography, autumn never looked more beautiful in Canada and North America
- and of course the noble geese.

I concur on virtually all points. I am NOT a girly or touchy-feely guy by any stretch of the imagination but Fly Away Home touched even me. As to the strength of the characters, it is a testament to Anna Paquin as an actress--and when she was only 13 no less!--that she makes Amy relatable and sympathetic despite being a bit of a surly brat. If she was my daughter, she'd try my patience too! The bond she forms with the geese manages to not be corny as you said.
I don't think I would go so far as to say that Fly Away Home is one of my all-time favorite movies. However, it is, IMO one of the most 'complete' movies I've ever seen. All the important elements in a movie--the plot/story, the characters, the acting, the pacing, the cinematography, the music, and overall atmosphere--were satisfactory to an extent that I can't recall experiencing in any other movie.