Review Detail

To the best of my knowledge, I was introduced to “Garden State” while browsing L8wrtr’s list of edits and stumbling across the page for this one, though it was a few years until I actually watched first it and then the recut. Didn’t leave a review then, but suddenly felt in the mood now to revisit and so here we are about two years later. My memories of the differences are therefore a little vague, with the only precise distinctions between it and this re-edit I can clearly remember being the yelling into the abyss and the altered ending, but I can recall enough to appreciate the difference in tone.

I think this edit is a definite enhancement in that respect, L8wrtr certainly achieves the stated aims of greater maturity, and while a few aspects are no doubt dated it feels personal in ways that so many other films try to emulate. For me the sign of a well-told story is having it stick in your mind for a few days after watching and I think this will be the case here. The integration of the new songs sounds seamless and the reinstated footage not standing out too badly, though I think there are a few instances of audio cuts within the first deleted scene that might be done a little more smoothly.

Thanks L8wrtr for not only producing the edit but for introducing me to the source film in the first place, hope that the long-mentioned HD remaster of the edit comes to fruition someday!