Snow day movie #3!
It's a little difficult to type this entry, because my thumbs are breaking open again, so I've got steroid cream on them and I don't want it to get all over my keyboard (okay, the space bar, since that's the only button I hit with my thumbs, but still), but I'm still going to try to hash out what I just watched.
A little background: I added several Criterion Collection features to my Netflix queue, since many of the titles from this most prestigious collection are interesting or important or exceptional, often in ways different from many other aspects of filmmaking. Mala Noche fits into the category of "Okay, I guess..." as opposed to what I would constitute as exceptional filmmaking. (See also: Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom)
Truthfully, though, the direction of gay director Gus van Sant (he of Good Will Hunting and Milk fame, as well as the vomit-inducing Psycho remake, but we won't discuss this...) and the movie's cinematography is by far the best part of the movie. The film is autobiographical, taken from a story by the protagonist that centers on his lovelust for a young Mexican immigrant who does not deign respond to his "advances" but nonetheless becomes a sort of acquaintaincefriend. No, that's not a word, but I find it quite an exact sentiment.
Van Sant captures the city, the poorer quarters, and the actors in the correct light always. Our protagonist is not a perfect creature, and he lives far from a perfect life. He is by no means wealthy, though he is consistently employed, and many of the interactions between himself and his "friends" happen in the store where he is a clerk. His lack of money is evinced early on when he offers the friends of his lust 15 dollars to sleep with him (though he admits he wishes he had 100). We believe all that happens and all that we see to be true because of the semi-grittiness of the decor/scene. We cannot believe much of the acting, as it is pretty bad. I have a hard time choosing exactly how I feel about the framing device of the protagonist speaking, much as though he's writing in a diary. The vocals sound forced, contrived, and full of irresponsibility, but his character might just be a little like that, too. He doesn't always make the best decisions, and by the end, the viewer is really left to wonder if he is happy, or even alright with everything that has happened.
Despite my inability to decide exactly how much of what happened in the movie is believable or not, it's something I know I will be able to ruminate on. It is unlikely, however, that I'd watch the movie again. I'm happy with the images and the good that stuck with me, and I have no desire to sit through the bad again. Anyone who wants to know more, just ask. At this point, I'm even torn between feeling that I'm not doing this movie justice and that I'm giving it too much credit. Hmmm.
Score: 6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment