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INDIE ON A DIME
Like every other working stiff on a budget,
I'm a sucker for a cheap thrill, whether it be a
matinee film or a Ladies Drink Free special at
the corner karaoke bar. So I have a special af
finity for low-budget films—cinematography on
a dime, if'you will. Read on for two examples of
low-budget films: one done totally wrong, the
other done right and really disturbing:
LOL (R) 2006. There's low-budget. Then,
there's low-quality. Joe Swanberg's (Mutual
Appreciation) latest endeavor falls in the latter
category. LOL takes a look at the relationships
of three rather bored .hipster/ emo kids—Tim
(Swanberg), Chris (C. Mason Wells) and Alex
(Kevin Bewersdorf)—and examines how their
attachment to technology disables the intimacy
with their respective partners. Unfortunately,
Swanberg oversimplifies this imbalance with
obvious scenarios. Instead of having sex with
his disproportionately hot girlfriend, Tim chats
online. Chris forces his girlfriend to send him
naked pics on his cell phone, then starts a fight
with her over the photos' lack of eroticism. And
Alex, a DJ who mixes random “mouth sounds"
to make crappy hipster chicken scratch, is so
obsessed with online porn stars that he can't
connect with real women. As a result, this indie
piece becomes a pluralistic sermon: people hide
behind technology; technology is the undoing
of emotional connection; the more we connect
to the Internet, the more disconnected we be
come from people, etc. Blah, blah.
The other highly annoying aspect to
Swanberg's preachy flop is the characters
themselves, sloppy awkward hipsters in their
early twenties who appear to have no jobs or
pressing obligations other than to sit around
and talk. Boy, do they talk, non-step, about ev
erything and nothing at all. It's as if Swanberg
gave them stage directions, told them to talk
amongst themselves and began filming. His
thesis—people don't listen to each other-
lacks gravitas, since his characters have noth
ing relevant to say. Grade: F
THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS
(R) 2006. In 1999, J.T. LeRoy published a col
lection of autobiographical short stories, The
Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. The stories
recounted LeRoy's upbringing as the son of a
drug-addicted single mother who cross-dressed
him as a little girl and pimped him out at
Midwest truck stops. LeRoy's twisted childhood
gave birth to an adult life of drug addiction and
prostitution, until he discovered writing in the~
mid-1990s. His work was published and became
quite popular. Then, a scandalous revelation
emerged in the New York Post: J.T. LeRoy wasn't
actually a man. In fact, he wasn't even techni
cally a real person. In actuality, he was Laura
Albert, a struggling novelist who assumed an
entirely false identity to score her big break.
And the "man" who appeared in public as
LeRoy, was, in fact, the half-sister of Albert's
partner, Samantha. From one of the contempo
rary literature's most notorious hoaxes sprung
one of 2006's darkest
low-budget films. In
fact, Asia Argento, who
assumes double duty as
both director and star
of the film, parlayed the
book's notorious legacy
and cult following into
myriad high-profile guest
appearances for her di
rectorial debut, including
Marilyn Manson, Peter
Fonda and Wynona Ryder.
In the film, young
Jeremiah (Jimmy
Bennett) is yanked from
the safe and nurturing
custody of his foster
family after his drug
gie birth mother, Sarah
(Argento), decides she
wants him back in her
life. Why she wants him
back is unclear, but code
pendency seems to be a
big factor. She takes him
on the road with her as
she ping-pongs from one
man to another, picking
up a new addiction with
each new notch in her
bedpost.
Along the way,
Jeremiah is abused both
physically and sexually,
brainwashed, belittled
and, quite literally, fed
drugs. The film is heavy.
In fact, it sort of makes
Requiem for a Dream
look like a quaint little bedtime story. Each
scene manages to out-taboo the one before,
and by the end, the audience feels as used up
and trashed as poor little Jeremiah. However,
Argento, daughter of famed Italian horror di
rector Dario Argento (Suspiria), demonstrates a
surprising ability to rein in that darkness and
focus her storytelling in a way that elevates
the film out of the exploitative quagmire it
could have very easily become. Instead, the
audience gets a true narrative and not simply
a string of endlessly depressing vignettes of
torture and despair.
The film's most notable performances-belong
to Argento and both Jimmy Bennet (younger
Jeremiah) and that kid from one of those an
noying Disney shows, Dylan Sprouse (older
Jeremiah). And what is the big deal about Peter
Fonda? His stilted, stale cameo as Jeremiah's
antagonistically religious grandfather makes his
performance in Thomas and the Magic Railroad
seem 0'car-worthy. Grade: A-
Robin Geddle
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things
BISCHERO
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SEPTEMBER 26,2007 • FLAGPOLE.COM 19