Kris Kristofferson leads an amazing cast in Disappearances, the one-of-a-kind conclusion to Jay Craven’s Kingdom County Tales (adapted from the novels of Howard Frank Mosher). Kristofferson stars as Quebec Bill, a Vermonter desperate to maintain his farm and tempted to return to his whiskey-smuggling ways. His son, Wild Bill (McDermott) is along for the ride, learning a bit about himself and his family’s mysterious past.

Craven drapes his film in a mysterious beauty and guides it with a clear appreciation for the rugged nature of the U.S./Canadian border region. There’s a poetry to the imagery as a straightforward father/son adventure begins to wind its way into the realm of magic realism.

What it all adds up to is refreshingly up to the audience. While it’s clearly about how the sins of the father are bequeathed to the son, there are no easy morals; no tidy packages. - Wm. Brian Owens