“The Place Beyond The Pines” is a story of families; of life in an urban town; of the choices of parents; and how one incident can change the course of a family’s life forever. It is an expertly crafted film that will appeal to true “movie buffs,” although it may not be as enjoyable to general audiences. As only the second feature film from director Derek Cianfrance; it shows true potential for someone that I predict will be a major figure in the growing world of young directors.

The narrative of “The Place Beyond The Pines” is unconventional, as it does not focus solely on one character or one storyline. Taking place mostly in Schenectady, New York; the story first follows the life of Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling), a motorcycle stuntman who quits his job in order to be near his one-year-old son, who he just recently learned about. In a sort of homage to Gosling’s role in Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive,” his character is the strong, silent type; a sort of antihero that ultimately wants to do good, but will do almost anything in order to accomplish this. His motivation is to make money and be there for his son, but in order to do so he robs banks and even lashes out at people that would interfere with his involvement as a father.

Running away from the cops after a botched break-in at a nearby bank, Glanton soon comes face-to-face with Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a rookie police officer. Their altercation ends badly for Glanton, who is shot and killed. Here, the narrative switches to Cross, a young cop on the force at Schenectady with a wife and also with a one-year-old son. He is soon hailed a hero for taking out Glanton, and it is this incident that will change the direction of his life and of those around him.

The dueling stories of both Gosling and Cooper’s characters is as interesting as any contrast that I have seen in this type of crime drama. Glanton is willing to do anything in order to support his son, feeling a moral obligation and a parental need to do so. Yet, he will use questionable means to achieve this goal. Cross, on the other hand, appears more concerned with his own reputation and his own career-oriented ambitions. Killing Glanton propels him to the peak of his status as a cop. And he uses this fame, plus some other morally ambiguous choices in order to advance himself up the political ladder. It is hard to really identify with either character, since they are flawed just as much as they are likable.

“The Place Beyond the Pines” at first moves at a steady pace; at times expressing calmness and contentment that lies at the heart of a functional family; at times even propelling forward with breakneck speed, such as some tense sequences with Glanton running from the police on his motorcycle. Immediately following the switch to Cross’s story, the pacing is different enough so as to make it interesting. But, after some conversations, some more altercations, and then a time jump 15 years into the future; I was soon questioning the purpose of the film, and where it was leading to. Though clearly directed with expert craft, including some brilliant cinematography and a fittingly dark music score, the film eventually lost me.

After the aforementioned time jump, the narrative switches to the children of both Glanton and Cross, now teenagers in high school. As a result of their upbringing, each has developed unique character traits. Alex, Cross’s son (Emory Choen), is a bit of a thug, rebellious against authority and his parents; possibly as a result of his father’s neglect when he was growing up. And Jason, Glanton’s son (Dane DeHaan), is a bit of a loner-stoner, as he is called at one point; possibly as a result of growing up without knowing his father, though he did actually get raised by two parents in a functional family environment, since his mother got married after his father’s death. The two characters here also share an interesting personality clash; and the actors portraying them do a great job of showing this, with a particular emphasis on Dane DeHaan as Jason. After some subsequent unbelievable coincidences, the two soon meet in a Schenectady school cafeteria. And this chance meeting will come to change both of their lives, just as it did for their fathers 15 years before.

Yet, after building for so long towards some definite conclusion, “The Place Beyond The Pines” does not really go anywhere in particular. The film as a whole will make you think, and certain images will linger in your mind after the credits roll. But, really, this could have been done in a less drawn-out, simpler way. And the message may have been just as powerful. Where “The Place Beyond The Pines” succeeds is with its characterization portrayals, its soundtrack, and with its indie-ish cinematography and visuals; which provide the impression of being low-budget while also containing recognizable stars. As mentioned, it is worth the viewing for those serious “movie buffs”; but really, it doesn’t succeed as pure entertainment. There will be much more from Cianfrance to come, of that I am sure. From what I have seen, though, there is some work to be done.