May 18, 2004
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Adolescents in Trouble Film Genre
I’ve been meaning to mention these two films. This is not my favorite genre, one that I go looking for, but when all else fails…In this case, I was very pleasantly surprised by both these stories. Elephant was shot here in Portland where I live and also features a very brief shot of my grandchildren’s beloved dog Boomer, who happened to be jumping around in the park nearby shooting of the film and was noticed. He earned a handy $1200 for his moments of fame. The film itself is gorgeous. Shot in that low-budget handheld camera kind of way, it documents the development of a school shooting by following several students through the day so that you see the drama unfold from different angles and points of view. My theory of why this film has received so little attention in the U.S. but won the Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize is that we have become numbed to this sort of theme here (you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all), but in France an art film about American violence is rewarded. The film doesn’t make statements or deliver any deliberate social messages, but it becomes clear how typical it is in high school corridors for individual students to become outcasts, how easily they can slip over the line from “different” to “unacceptable.” And how tragic.
Manic was a Sundance entry and maybe went straight to video. I don’t remember ever seeing it playing in theaters but it’s still on the video store shelves. The setting is a psych ward full of disturbed teenagers. The drama is intense as their stories unfold and they interact with each other and their counselor, played by Don Cheadle, an excellent character actor. Again, the young actors are mostly unknowns, but the acting itself is top notch. The film is more close to the gut, less detached, then Elephant. It pulls you right in. Both are very much worth viewing.
Deep Thought: When I found the wallet in the road, I started wondering about the guy who owned it. Who was he? Was it William Gregory of 2407 Eastwood Lane, like the driver’s license said, or was it someone else? And what was he going to spend the $220 on? About a week later, I started wondering again about the wallet guy. What was he like? And where was he going to spend his five dollars?
Today I am grateful for: The helping professions
Comments (6)
I was just telling my husband about your film reviews the other day and how much I have to hate you for them. (not really) I’m so jealous. We used to get the independent films quite often, but don’t get to now. The area we live is not a particularly well educated one and the independent films don’t sell. My husband said he would pick some up while at work (in the city), but with the whole floor business, that may be a while. Anyway, thanks for the reviews. Infinite Blessings
MIND, AT WORK.
If you have a video store in your town you’ll find both these films on the shelves.
Portland gets a lot of film attention! So does Astoria. I think that’s pretty cool. How’d you like the thunder storm yesterday? It was right over us in Gresham. I had to dash to the barn to make sure the pony was okay. He was pretty scared, as were quite a few of the other ponies.
Thanks for these reviews. I had debated renting both of these movies, now I will for sure!
”Elephant” sounds good, I’ve read other reviews that agreed with your asessment, and the subject of outcasts interests me, since that’s what I was in my schooldays. Must remember to look for Boomer when I watch it. That’s a lot of dog biscuits for being cute.
“Manic” sounds a little too disturbing for me right now, but Don Cheadle is always excellent. I remember when he was in “Picket Fences” on TV.