Northfork

The film's narrative consists of several interwoven subplots taking place in the town of Northfork, Montana circa 1955. A new dam is being built that will flood the valley of Northfork, and the town is in the midst of an evacuation. The narratives focus on several individuals who, for one reason or another, have yet to evacuate. Walter O'Brien and his son are on the evacuation team, helping to evacuate the last few inhabitants of Northfork. In return, the government will give them acres of lakeside property if they meet their evacuee quota. Father Harlan is one such individual, who has stayed behind to care for Irwin, a dying orphan too weak to leave town. While the O'Briens and their co-workers encounter an array of unusual characters, Irwin discovers that he is the "unknown angel" through a suitcase with his angel wings in it and a Bible with an angel's feather telling his family story. He finds himself, in his dreams, a family of angels, with whom he makes a deal to take him a thousand miles away. ==Cast==

The script for the film was the first screenplay written by the Polish brothers. The brothers, who grew up in California but spent time on relatives' ranches in Montana, based their script on people and places they had known in their youth. The film was shot in 24 days. Montana locations included Fort Peck, Choteau, Great Falls, Fort Peck Dam, and Augusta. The film was shot in CinemaScope. ==Reception==

Northfork received mixed to positive reviews from critics and has a rating of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 103 reviews with an average rating of 6 out of 10. The consensus states "Visually poetic, but may be too dramatically inert for some." The film also has a score of 64 on Metacritic based on 31 reviews. Roger Ebert awarded the film 4 out of 4 stars and screened it as part of his Ebertfest festival. He concluded, "The command and assurance of the Polish brothers is impressive, and this insinuating, fascinating movie has a magnetic, eerie pull." == Accolades ==

• Athens International Film Festival • Winner, City of Athens Award: Michael Polish • Chlotrudis Awards • Nominee, Best Cinematography: M. David Mullen • Deauville Film Festival • Nominee, Grand Special Prize: Michael Polish • Independent Spirit Awards • Nominee, Best Cinematography: M. David Mullen • Oldenburg Film Festival • Winner, German Independence Award Audience Award: Michael Polish ==See also==