I was tempted to give up on this movie very early on. It seemed odd, sluggish and pretentious in that 'Touched by an Angel' sort of way.
And it was. The movie tries very hard to be heart-warming and self-important to the point that I imagine turns off many viewers.
But they are missing out on a true gem. Despite its over-earnest nature, the movie succeeds in being a feel-good movie thanks to a well-written story and some superb acting by a group of relative unknowns.
The film touches on 5 very different people's lives and how they keep their heads up despite some very sad fortunes. The film teases at first, giving us almost no information about these characters and expecting us to care about them as they plod along. But patience is certainly a rewarded virtue here as the BIGGER PICTURE is slowly revealed and the intricacies of these character's lives come together in a way I would have never imagined.
The fantastic acting done by the whole cast helps to move the story along whenever it appears to be stalling. Each actor manages to etch out deep, hidden emotions and secrets from their characters that are not fully-realized until the very end of the film. If nothing else, this movie is a great study of "effect and cause", rather than "cause and effect". You are privileged to see how each character has been changed by events in their life long before you find out what those events were and how profoundly they impacted their recipients.
In some vague ways, this movie reminds me of the 1984 film 'Paris, Texas' starring Nastassja Kinski and Harry Dean Stanton. A sparse, slow-moving film about a man deeply affected by an event we don't know until the last 15 minutes.
Looking at it's IMDb page, another user gives 'Paris, Texas' the "Life-Changing Movie" stamp of approval that others have given 'Mind the Gap', and I agree. If you have the patience and can stomach the incessant mushiness, 'Mind the Gap' is the type of film that makes you step back and look at the world (and your life) with fresh eyes. There is nothing in this movie that will blow the average-movie watcher away - but that is precisely why it is so good - it just doesn't work without YOU.
YOU are the 6th story - the 6th character.
'Mind the Gap' only sets up the formula, the pattern.
***YOU fill in THE GAP***
