Best Actress 1987

Who else apart from me thinks the film of HOUSEKEEPING was better than the book?

Maybe. I haven't read the book in years. She did write several books I prefer.

I haven't read the book, but I love the film, possibly the best thing he's done, not to mention Lahti's best performance. It's too bad Sony treated it so poorly - famously one of David Puttnam's productions when he ran Columbia, and therefore one of the films the succeeding regime dumped in theaters with minimal promotion when he was pushed out.

("he" being Bill Forsyth)

messed that up - I mean "possibly the best thing Bill Forsyth's done"

I loved the book Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. It was so strange and magical and it was told from a 'transparent eyeball' point of view (Ralph Waldo Emerson's term as a reference to nature taking over the senses). I haven't seen the film yet but I can't imagine it is better than the novel

1987 also included Yimou Zhang's Red Sorghum, which featured a great debut performance by Gong Li

The film got marketed as a quirky sitcom: I can still see the late '80s VHS box with Lahti drinking tea while she's knee deep in water.

Dan, you should watch it. It's not as limpid as the book, but Lahti's fantastic.

I will

but I can't imagine it will be anything like the book, which was so eerie and feral

Forget the book!

The film is its own kind of eerie.