Big Sur

Michael Polish's Big Sur (US, 2013) - Last year's much-anticipated adaptation of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" may have landed softly, but the Beat goes on at Sundance this year: Premiering days after "Kill Your Darlings" shed light on the renegade author's college years, Michael Polish's "Big Sur" offers an elegantly muted take on the midlife ennui of Kerouac's autobiographical 1962 novel. A typically atmospheric effort from the "Northfork" director -- here working without twin brother Mark -- this oblique, episodic study of a writer (Jean-Marc Barr, effectively if unexpectedly cast) seeking refuge from his own success is strictly an arthouse proposition, but should stimulate Kerouac and Polish acolytes alike. 2013SUN. RATING: 2