3 Depressing, Well Done Indie Films
"Welcome to Me"
starring: Kristen Wiig, Wes Bentley, Linda Cardellini, Joan Cusack, Loretta Devine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Thomas Mann, James Marsden, Tim Robbins, Alan Tudyk
directed by: Shira Piven
written by: Eliot Laurence
You could essentially look at this film through different lenses. Under one microscope, it's an uncomfortable comedy. With a different lens, it's a dramedy, weighing heavily on the drama with a mix of wit and wry humor to fill the gaps. Either way, I don't think it's a fair assessment to say the filmmakers are taking advantage of the character's flaws and characteristics and/or making fun of mental health. Watching Kristen Wiig become this character and fully dive into what it means to be mentally unstable is about as uncomfortable as watching a train wreck happen, knowing you cannot do anything about it.
The film has a stellar premise: Alice, a woman diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and currently off her meds, wins $86 million in the state lottery and sinks her windfall into the production of a TV show calledWelcome to Me. An Oprah fanatic who hasn’t turned off her TV in 11 years, Alice lines her apartment walls with videocassettes of Oprah’s show, whose episodes she can recite by heart. Yet Alice’s show is filled with things like cooking episodes featuring meatloaf cake (with sweet potato icing) and libelous reenactments of childhood traumas. No one is willing to save Alice from herself: the infomercial owners of the operation, a sibling team played by James Marsden and Wes Bentley, like the color of her money; the director (Cusack) watches in horror but recognizes the show as must-see television; her best friend Gina (Cardellini) abandons Alice after one too many slights; and her long-suffering therapist (Robbins) gave up on her a while back. Inevitably, Alice crashes, leaving enough time to tie up the plot in a nice bow.
It's clear that the people in her life, namely the infomercial folks are taking advantage of Alice and her need/desire to fill TV time slots with a show about herself, hosted by her. Her only friend, Gina (played by an under-used Linda Cardellini, in my opinin) is someone who stands by/up for her friend even when Alice cannot do it for herself. There's a weird subplot of Alice being involved with Wes Bentley's character that seems rather unnecessary, other than to allow Alice to stick a knife in yet another person's life when she can, and because she can.
By the time Alice has her inevitable nervous breakdown, in the casino where she decides to reside once she gets her millions of dollars in a settlement that propels the entire film right at the beginning, you can tell enough is enough. Kudos to Kristen Wiig for deciding to go full-frontal and expose herself completely for the role, I just wish it would have been for a better film and with a better purpose. Kristen Wiig, though, is proving to be more than the sum of her small roles on SNL.
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"Comet"
starring: Justin Long, Emmy Rossum, Eric Winter, Kayla Servi
written and directed by: Sam Esmail
This is an interesting film that looks at the relationship (and demise of) between two people who seem rather insufferable and too full of themselves to really, truly care for another person. It takes an interesting approach to story-telling, kind of in the same vein as "500 Days of Summer," yet this one boasts of "taking place over six years a few parallel universes away," which seems to be designed to allow the audience to give it a bit of a sympathetic pass as far as holes in the story and true lack of character development. We are barraged with dialogue between the two people in questions that comes off as rather a step above the dialogue spoken by the teenagers in "Dawson's Creek," and again, there really isn't any explanation as to why these characters would think much less say the things they do (to each other). With all that being said, from the start, I was hooked into this film, simply because I love the act of dissecting relationships, especially ones that don't work out. Forget about the typical Hollywood romantic comedies, because that stuff isn't reality. Indie films like this can creatively get to the heart of bad relationships. Throughout the film, you can tell these two people are not meant to be together.
The film's story is told through pivotal moments in the couple's life:
1) the meet-cute moment
2) the big fight
3) the confession
4) the bittersweet reunion
5) and the possible reconciliation
Dell is played by Justin Long and he is an rather insufferable type of guy, the kind that makes you wonder what Emmy Rossum's Kimberley actually ever sees in him. Dell finds out his mother has cancer on the phone in the opening minutes of the film, and perhaps this revelation drives the reminder of his actions and speeches. He definitely comes off as a "don't give a shit, the world is a cruel place, live it, and then you die" type of person. He also divulges that he was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, which helps explain a bit more about him. But, this still doesn't make him a sympathetic character, which is really what this type of film needs. And Rossum's Kimberley seems to be in his life to solely react to everything he says and does, which makes her a quantifiable Manic Pixie Dream Girl, when she could be so much more, and you can tell that Rossum doesn't want her character to be remembered that way. When Dell and Kimberley meet, they are in line waiting to witness a meteor shower (hence the title, "Comet") and both are with other people. Kimberley is on a date with a guy named Josh, whom she seems to know she can do better than (and Dell makes this known to both of them, and he seems to think he is the one who is a better match, even though he seems to be on a date with a girl he completely ignores- another factor that makes him rather unsympathetic). Alas, Kimberley and Dell are together. And then the film jumps to some point after they've broken up. They meet on the street and share some of their memories of the fateful fight in a hotel in Paris. The film doesn't get to that fight next, instead the director/writer takes us through more pivotal moments in their courtship, but once we are in the hotel with them, we are ready to see them split.
The film survives, for me, because of the chemistry between Rossum and Long. They are a perfect match of actors, even if their characters are not. With this film, though, there seems to be an untapped reserve of their potential. A reserve that could have been explored and exploited given a better script perhaps, because it's clear that writer/director Sam Esmail was heavily influenced by Richard Linklater's trilogy of relationship exploration in "Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight." His film doesn't get there, though, perhaps because Linklater is a master at this storytelling and Esmail is only starting out. I hope he can get there someday, because these films are why I love watching films.
The parallel universe aspect of the film seems like a way out, but it intrigues me enough to want to watch it again and see if I can interpret it in a different/newer way.
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"The Skeleton Twins"
starring: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook, Joanna Gleason, Kathleen Rose Perkins
written and directed by: Craig Johnson
There isn't much believable in Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig coming off as twins (other than the fact that this is a film and believable isn't a necessity). One of the qualities this pair does share is the ability to wear a deadpan, slouchy, sardonic-like face almost all the time (or at least when completely necessary, which seems like all the time in this film about suicidal twins). It's definitely worth watching this pair, that got their start on Saturday Night Live together, do some heavy, dramatic lifting in their roles. And they understand each other as actors, knowing when to strike.
"The Skeleton Twins" introduces the pair as long-estranged siblings who reunite when Milo (Hader) attempts suicide. His reasons aren’t precisely articulated – there’s the suggestion that a love affair has recently broken up (the camera glances by a framed photo of Milo with what is presumably an ex-boyfriend), and his acting career in Los Angeles has gone nowhere. So sister Maggie (Wiig) packs up Milo and takes him back to their small hometown in New York where she lives with her nice-guy hubby Lance (Wilson). Everyone assumes Milo is the basket case; he did just try to permanently exit the stage. But Maggie’s got her secrets, too – namely, that she’s a much bigger weirdo than she’s letting on with her husband. Even as they grow closer, Milo and Maggie, separately, are hanging on by very thin threads.
This is another film where Kristen Wiig has a character that looks into mental health, but again she finds herself in a film that does not necessarily take any risks in the storytelling. It's rather low-stakes writing, perhaps to avoid any controversy, but with a subject like suicide, one would expect a point of view to shine through. Yes, it's story is sensitive to the subject at heart, but perhaps a little too much. I say, take a stand, if film is your soapbox.
starring: Kristen Wiig, Wes Bentley, Linda Cardellini, Joan Cusack, Loretta Devine, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Thomas Mann, James Marsden, Tim Robbins, Alan Tudyk
directed by: Shira Piven
written by: Eliot Laurence
You could essentially look at this film through different lenses. Under one microscope, it's an uncomfortable comedy. With a different lens, it's a dramedy, weighing heavily on the drama with a mix of wit and wry humor to fill the gaps. Either way, I don't think it's a fair assessment to say the filmmakers are taking advantage of the character's flaws and characteristics and/or making fun of mental health. Watching Kristen Wiig become this character and fully dive into what it means to be mentally unstable is about as uncomfortable as watching a train wreck happen, knowing you cannot do anything about it.
The film has a stellar premise: Alice, a woman diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and currently off her meds, wins $86 million in the state lottery and sinks her windfall into the production of a TV show calledWelcome to Me. An Oprah fanatic who hasn’t turned off her TV in 11 years, Alice lines her apartment walls with videocassettes of Oprah’s show, whose episodes she can recite by heart. Yet Alice’s show is filled with things like cooking episodes featuring meatloaf cake (with sweet potato icing) and libelous reenactments of childhood traumas. No one is willing to save Alice from herself: the infomercial owners of the operation, a sibling team played by James Marsden and Wes Bentley, like the color of her money; the director (Cusack) watches in horror but recognizes the show as must-see television; her best friend Gina (Cardellini) abandons Alice after one too many slights; and her long-suffering therapist (Robbins) gave up on her a while back. Inevitably, Alice crashes, leaving enough time to tie up the plot in a nice bow.
It's clear that the people in her life, namely the infomercial folks are taking advantage of Alice and her need/desire to fill TV time slots with a show about herself, hosted by her. Her only friend, Gina (played by an under-used Linda Cardellini, in my opinin) is someone who stands by/up for her friend even when Alice cannot do it for herself. There's a weird subplot of Alice being involved with Wes Bentley's character that seems rather unnecessary, other than to allow Alice to stick a knife in yet another person's life when she can, and because she can.
By the time Alice has her inevitable nervous breakdown, in the casino where she decides to reside once she gets her millions of dollars in a settlement that propels the entire film right at the beginning, you can tell enough is enough. Kudos to Kristen Wiig for deciding to go full-frontal and expose herself completely for the role, I just wish it would have been for a better film and with a better purpose. Kristen Wiig, though, is proving to be more than the sum of her small roles on SNL.
...........................................................................
"Comet"
starring: Justin Long, Emmy Rossum, Eric Winter, Kayla Servi
written and directed by: Sam Esmail
This is an interesting film that looks at the relationship (and demise of) between two people who seem rather insufferable and too full of themselves to really, truly care for another person. It takes an interesting approach to story-telling, kind of in the same vein as "500 Days of Summer," yet this one boasts of "taking place over six years a few parallel universes away," which seems to be designed to allow the audience to give it a bit of a sympathetic pass as far as holes in the story and true lack of character development. We are barraged with dialogue between the two people in questions that comes off as rather a step above the dialogue spoken by the teenagers in "Dawson's Creek," and again, there really isn't any explanation as to why these characters would think much less say the things they do (to each other). With all that being said, from the start, I was hooked into this film, simply because I love the act of dissecting relationships, especially ones that don't work out. Forget about the typical Hollywood romantic comedies, because that stuff isn't reality. Indie films like this can creatively get to the heart of bad relationships. Throughout the film, you can tell these two people are not meant to be together.
The film's story is told through pivotal moments in the couple's life:
1) the meet-cute moment
2) the big fight
3) the confession
4) the bittersweet reunion
5) and the possible reconciliation
Dell is played by Justin Long and he is an rather insufferable type of guy, the kind that makes you wonder what Emmy Rossum's Kimberley actually ever sees in him. Dell finds out his mother has cancer on the phone in the opening minutes of the film, and perhaps this revelation drives the reminder of his actions and speeches. He definitely comes off as a "don't give a shit, the world is a cruel place, live it, and then you die" type of person. He also divulges that he was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, which helps explain a bit more about him. But, this still doesn't make him a sympathetic character, which is really what this type of film needs. And Rossum's Kimberley seems to be in his life to solely react to everything he says and does, which makes her a quantifiable Manic Pixie Dream Girl, when she could be so much more, and you can tell that Rossum doesn't want her character to be remembered that way. When Dell and Kimberley meet, they are in line waiting to witness a meteor shower (hence the title, "Comet") and both are with other people. Kimberley is on a date with a guy named Josh, whom she seems to know she can do better than (and Dell makes this known to both of them, and he seems to think he is the one who is a better match, even though he seems to be on a date with a girl he completely ignores- another factor that makes him rather unsympathetic). Alas, Kimberley and Dell are together. And then the film jumps to some point after they've broken up. They meet on the street and share some of their memories of the fateful fight in a hotel in Paris. The film doesn't get to that fight next, instead the director/writer takes us through more pivotal moments in their courtship, but once we are in the hotel with them, we are ready to see them split.
The film survives, for me, because of the chemistry between Rossum and Long. They are a perfect match of actors, even if their characters are not. With this film, though, there seems to be an untapped reserve of their potential. A reserve that could have been explored and exploited given a better script perhaps, because it's clear that writer/director Sam Esmail was heavily influenced by Richard Linklater's trilogy of relationship exploration in "Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight." His film doesn't get there, though, perhaps because Linklater is a master at this storytelling and Esmail is only starting out. I hope he can get there someday, because these films are why I love watching films.
One of Esmail’s concerns is the way Dell unintentionally dooms the relationship with his belief that it can’t possibly work out, so it makes sense to portray the full arc, but the phoniness of the “Comet” conceit shines through in the film’s stubborn detachment from reality.
In addition to the “parallel universe” title card, both Dell and Kimberly keep referring to their situation in knowingly meta ways. Is this all a dream? A premonition? An alternate reality? Did Dell actually get hit by the car in the cemetery and die? All questions that would have been better left for viewers to ponder, rather than allowing the characters to explicitly raise them onscreen, especially since the film never shifts fully into sci-fi or fantasy territory. The parallel universe aspect of the film seems like a way out, but it intrigues me enough to want to watch it again and see if I can interpret it in a different/newer way.
................................................................................
"The Skeleton Twins"
starring: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook, Joanna Gleason, Kathleen Rose Perkins
written and directed by: Craig Johnson
There isn't much believable in Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig coming off as twins (other than the fact that this is a film and believable isn't a necessity). One of the qualities this pair does share is the ability to wear a deadpan, slouchy, sardonic-like face almost all the time (or at least when completely necessary, which seems like all the time in this film about suicidal twins). It's definitely worth watching this pair, that got their start on Saturday Night Live together, do some heavy, dramatic lifting in their roles. And they understand each other as actors, knowing when to strike.
"The Skeleton Twins" introduces the pair as long-estranged siblings who reunite when Milo (Hader) attempts suicide. His reasons aren’t precisely articulated – there’s the suggestion that a love affair has recently broken up (the camera glances by a framed photo of Milo with what is presumably an ex-boyfriend), and his acting career in Los Angeles has gone nowhere. So sister Maggie (Wiig) packs up Milo and takes him back to their small hometown in New York where she lives with her nice-guy hubby Lance (Wilson). Everyone assumes Milo is the basket case; he did just try to permanently exit the stage. But Maggie’s got her secrets, too – namely, that she’s a much bigger weirdo than she’s letting on with her husband. Even as they grow closer, Milo and Maggie, separately, are hanging on by very thin threads.
This is another film where Kristen Wiig has a character that looks into mental health, but again she finds herself in a film that does not necessarily take any risks in the storytelling. It's rather low-stakes writing, perhaps to avoid any controversy, but with a subject like suicide, one would expect a point of view to shine through. Yes, it's story is sensitive to the subject at heart, but perhaps a little too much. I say, take a stand, if film is your soapbox.
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