Tideland

Made back-to-back with Terry Gilliam's somewhat commercial but roundly panned "The Brothers Grimm," indie-produced "Tideland" sees the fanciful helmer overindulging his dark side with a slice of Gothic nastiness. Story about an imaginative orphan living alone under open skies is anchored by an ace perf from tyke thesp Jodelle Ferland, and features the helmer's signature spooky production design. Way too disturbing for kids and too weird for most grown-ups, "Tideland" is likely to wash up in boutique distribution where Gilliam's name will pull in only his most devoted fan base.

Largely faithful to the poetic, well-received novel by Mitch Cullin, screenplay filters the story through the eyes of young heroine Jeliza-Rose (witchy-eyed 10-year-old Ferland), the precocious only child of rock guitarist Noah (Jeff Bridges, almost unrecognizable at first) and the fancifully named Queen Gunhilda (Jennifer Tilly), a bedridden hysteric with a long, blond fright-do.

While pic's American Gothic production design is packed with detail in typical Gilliam style, the film looks positively Spartan compared with the ungainly clutter of "The Brothers Grimm." (L. Felperin, Variety)