Review: Lack of attention smudges labor of love ‘Looking Glass’

If their homespun collaboration “The Looking Glass” is any indication, time has not been kind to the talents of veteran director John Hancock (“Bang the Drum Slowly,” “Prancer”) and his wife, writer-star Dorothy Tristan, who had a vital career in the 1970s acting in a string of studio movies (“Klute,” “Scarecrow”) and telefilms (“Griffin and Phoenix”).

This sluggishly paced family drama, set and mostly shot in the Hancocks’ home base of LaPorte County, Ind., revolves around Julie (Grace Tarnow), a troubled teen who, after the death of her mother, moves to the sticks to live with her stubborn widowed grandma, Karen (Tristan).

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The aging Karen, a retired actress of some apparent note, likes the idea of having her late daughter’s child living with her more than the reality of it. But a rocky start gives way to mutual understanding and support, especially when Julie reveals she can sing and wants to act in a local musical theater production.

Tristan’s creaky, often episodic script attempts to tackle some big topics — art, love, loss, family bonds, mortality — but does so in such a forced, talky way that it’s hard to buy into the tale’s earnest emotional core. An unearned melodramatic twist in the film’s latter half needed a rethink. Back stories are also deficiently told.

Local hire Tarnow proves a valuable find, but most of the supporting players underwhelm. As for Tristan, despite her lived-in visage and uneven gait, her past beauty and strength — if not her onetime acting chops — are clearly evident. But more all-around finesse, including sharper editing and smoother staging, would have greatly helped this obvious labor of love.

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“The Looking Glass.”

No MPAA rating.

Running time: 1 hour, 46 minutes.

Playing: Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts, Beverly Hills.