Overview: Julia, 40, is an alcoholic. Between shots of vodka and one-night stands, Julia gets by on nickel-and-dime jobs. Increasingly lonely, her alcohol-induced confusion reinforces her sense that life has dealt her a losing hand and she convinces herself as much in panic and despair as for financial gain to commit a violent crime.

DVD Verdict: Tilda Swinton easily carries "Julia," with a tour-de-force performance as an out of control alcoholic that gets way, way in over her head when she agrees to get involved in a hair-brained kidnapping scheme, one that goes very badly awry.

Swinton's out-of-control alcoholic character, subject to blackouts, who lies constantly is someone that nobody can ever believe anything that ever comes out of her mouth. Desperately needing money, she devises a not-to-well-thought-out plot to kidnap the 8-year-old grandson of an ultra wealthy gent whose estranged, emotionally disturbed mother she met at an AA gathering.

Swinton has no intention of turning the kid over to his mother, but plans to ransom him to the grandfather for two million dollars. Unfortunately for her, Grandpa soon learns her identity and she is forced to flee to Mexico with the boy, who is soon taken from her by some professional kidnappers. Now, Swinton, who has actually become fond of the child, will do everything in her power to get him back.

For charting the lead character's mad trajectory, the director, Erick Zonka, received a well deserved nomination for a best director, at Berlin and Swinton was nominated for the best actress Caesar, for her performance in this film. Inspired by Cassevette's "Gloria," and definitely worth your time. [WK] This is a Widescreen presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Deleted Scenes