Spoken Word (2010) NYT Critics' Pick

[lsanderson]

Kuno Becker, left, and Persia White in a scene from “Spoken Word,” directed by Victor Nuñez and set in New Mexico.
The Difficulties of Escaping the Past
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
Published: July 22, 2010

Characters with painful pasts and fertile minds lead the all-too-few films of Victor Nuñez, a director whose skill with actors is second only to his ability to ground them in their respective milieus. As the runaway housewife searching for a better life in “Ruby in Paradise,” Ashley Judd was never more luminous, while Peter Fonda’s affecting performance in “Ulee’s Gold” relied on a pulsing intelligence largely ignored by his previous directors. More