Search: Directed by Gus Van Sant

Varied and expansive, this exemplary collection serves as an excellent introduction to American short film.

It's hard to be tough on a film as warm-hearted as this one is in spirit - like Callahan, it's trying hard even when it fails.

Everything about the film seems to fit a purpose, and Van Sant's purpose is to show that we can never understand the reasons why.

Hiding beneath the mask of radical chic lies a deeply sentimental story.

The end product might not feature too many surprises, but the dialogue is occasionally dazzling and leads to many poignant moments.

A mood piece sustained by a kind of strange, desperate beauty.

A moody, raw piece of cinema.

In one of the finest performances of his career, Sean Penn is understated to convey finer feeling, yet passionate on the soap box to an inspirational degree.

The sense that Van Sant is being too clever by half doesn't diminish the power of his imagery.

There are many remarkable things about this unusual movie.

At its core, this is a character study, with the contradictory American character summed up in one man.

In remake heaven, where all clones meet, the only question is 'Why?'

The twists and turns of this narrative fail to ring true with too many implausibilities in the plotting to give any credibility.