This is a 35mm presentation.
Time Out review:
Vincent Gallo's
directorial debut is one of a kind, an eccentric, provocative comedy
which laces a poignant love story with both a sombre, washed-out
naturalism and surreal musical vignettes. Throwing out the standard
repetitions of shot/reverse shot, Gallo brings an individual film
grammar to the screen, a beguiling mix of formal tropes and
apparently impetuous conceits. If not autobiographical, then at least
deeply personal, the film follows one Billy Brown (Gallo) out of
prison and back to his hometown, Buffalo, NY. There he kidnaps a
girl, Layla (Christine Ricci) a busty, blonde in two-inch skirt and
dazzling fairy tale slippers, and entreats her to play his loving
wife for his parents' benefit. The homecoming goes a long way to
explain Billy's aggressive insecurity: his indifferent mom (Anjelica
Huston) is a rabid football obsessive, while his dad (Ben Gazzara) is
taciturn and hostile, though taken with Layla. The cruel caricature
of this sourly funny episode is tempered by Layla's sweetness.
Billy's turmoil is redeemed in her simplicity. You may scoff at such
blatant male wish-fulfilment, but when Billy finally opens himself to
the threat of intimacy, it's a heart-rending moment. A brave, honest,
stimulating film, this reaches parts other movies don't even know
exist.
Tom Charity
Here (and above) is the trailer.
No comments:
Post a Comment