Tape
****
Cinema Releases - July 12, 2002
Rated on a 4-star scale. Certificate 15. USA.
86 minutes. Directed by Richard Linklater. Written by Stephen Belber; based
on his play. Starring Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Uma
Thurman.
I must be vague with "Tape", because
this is a movie whose dialogue and characterisation keep springing surprises.
That's how it keeps us hooked. The screenplay features nothing but talk,
but this is one of the most tightly wound films of the year.
Ethan Hawke and Patrick Sean Leonard star as two
old pals who meet up in a motel room in the town of Lansing, Michigan. Hawke
is a volunteer firefighter who makes his money through small-time dope deals;
he isn't stupid, but hasn't moved on much since high school, and makes like
he hasn't the energy or inclination. Leonard is an independent director in
town for the film festival, where his debut feature is due to be
premiered.
The guys talk. Hawke acts a bit funny; he always
has. Leonard is direct, but still more reserved than his buddy. A joint is
smoked. The conversation drifts to a girl once known by both guys, and then
to an accusation about the past. And then another person joins the group
-- the girl in question, played by Uma Thurman.
Allow me to repeat a word I have already used
twice. Talk. The characters talk. They probe each other, try to find
the right words to get out of arguments clean, persist in the face of non-answers
and let words develop into paths of more. "Tape" is based on a play by Stephen
Belber, who also wrote the screenplay; I have no idea how the material played
on stage, but dammit, the film is a masterpiece of realistic conversation
rhythms that have been woven to wrap us up in their intensity.
Will "Tape" stand up to a second viewing, once
we've seen its arguments and confusions resolve themselves? I think so. By
the end of the film, we still can't be completely sure whether Thurman is
laughing off the suggestions of her old friends or playing a game to try
and frustrate them. We don't know if Leonard did something wrong years ago
or if suggestion is playing tricks with memory and perception. I'd also suggest
that we never do find out what trait defines Hawke's character, except I
think I know a guy like him, and the idiosyncrasy is no clearer in real
life.
That's about as far as I can go in discussing
the content without getting too imprecise for my own good. The filmmaking,
of course, is also worth mentioning, as the director, Richard Linklater,
shot the entire film in sequence and on digital videotape. Some viewers may
not like the effect; they might feel it makes the whole thing look like some
kind of pretentious experiment. I don't mind the video shooting, but nor
do I see it as necessary -- sure, it has an inhibiting directness, but the
dialogue has that on its own.
Regardless, this is an exciting period for Linklater,
who back in May gave us "Waking Life", another splendid picture that experimented
with digital filmmaking and featured awesome feats of speech. "Tape" is a
great film, and it's not even Linklater's best of the year.
COPYRIGHT©
2002 Ian Waldron-Mantgani
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