Review: The Door In The Floor DVD

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This fine indie drama about adults behaving badly should have gotten more recognition theatrically. For those who did discover it, or who may be prompted to revisit it thanks to editorials lamenting its award snubs, this DVD gives you three featurettes and a commentary to go beyond its making.

These are not showy spots because it’s not a showy movie. What you do get is the filmmakers talking about their feelings for the material. They shouldn’t have put that sappy music behind all the interviews. It makes the soundbites seem saccharine and clichéd, but I get the impression that they really are being genuine.

You do have to get through a bit of mutual praise and congratulations to hear the depth of things, be they the characters and the process of becoming them, the novel or the minor details that establish character. The spot on the adaptation focuses on Jon Irving’s feelings about the screenplay. Pretty ballsy, he could’ve had many complaints, but turns out he likes this one. The spots are nice and long so you get a lot of extra material.

Of course you know what Sundance Channel’s Anatomy of a Scene is. It’s somewhat repetitive of the first two featurettes, but the soundbites are collected from different interviews, so you can compare the hairdos of the actors.

If you love the film like I did, you’ll appreciate going into this depth. If you hate the film, you’ll find it pretentious. I’d love for you to just try the film out, then take the extras or leave them.