Red Dirt
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Movie Reviews of Red Dirt
Movie Review: Disappointing + incomprehensible romantics
Summary: 4 Stars
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While an ending's being happy is not a requirement in any good film, it is certainly important that it be comprehensible. And in the case of this film, that ending is completely incomprehensible to me (you know, just doesn't make sense). Here we have an aimless drifter (Lee Todd) who we are led to believe has no particular goal in life, no place he needs to head out to (early on he even says himself: "Hell, I don't even know where I'm headed, exactly." Character Griffth's response: "You're driving without any direction?" Then, Lee: "I was headed this way." Then, Griffith: "East, without any destination?" Finally, Lee: "Yeah.") And, so what happens at film's end (after Griffith's being told a bit of rather astonishing and unsettling relationship news by Karen Black's character) when G. finally realizes and declares his love for Lee, but at the same time indicates he cannot leave together as they'd planned? Well, what happens is that the busy, busy, suddenly-on-a-mission Lee finds it vital to immediately leave the scene? Duh! Must be he has an appointment with the President of the United States, or some such, and there's just no way it could or would ever be rescheduled. Plus, I guess it's not at all important that he's just heard the one declaration he'd been hoping to hear from the man he loves. In the final analysis, I do think that Griffith would have gone off with Lee had he not just found out what he did (but for now it would have to wait). Therefore, I cannot blame Griffith for the choice he made, at a critical point in his life----I can understand it. What I cannot understand is Lee's final behavior of hurrying up and 'skeedadling.' Perhaps Director Purvis has some reasoning for it (possibly he needed a tragic or unhappy ending?), but it's certainly beyond my comprehension. (Too bad the DVD is missing a Director's Commentary).
Despite my problem concerning logicality of the script, I nevertheless have to recognize one especially notable thing about this production. For me, that is the one actor who truly stands head and shoulders above the rest: Walton Goggins. This man possesses a very unusual "trembling intensity" to the emotional level he reaches in some scenes......an intensity which builds to the point of being passed to the viewer. A particularly notable example of this is a near end-of-film scene in which he has found Griffith to say goodbye. The emotional "shaking" which he is able to build to, as he apologizes for past feelings and acts expressed to Griffith, reaches an almost overwhelming level, pulling us--almost shaking as well--into his emotional turmoil. We not only watch and hear what he is saying; we begin to feel what he is feeling. Now, that's acting.
NOTE: One full star has been awarded just for what are, till recently, the most beautifully filmed outdoor scenes ever noted in a production having a major gay theme. The film's Introductory/Credit Roll scenes, as well as other outdoor shots, are absolutely stunning. (The "till recently" refers to the award winning cinematography of Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain")
Movie Review: Unexpectedly Beautiful
Summary: 4 Stars
"Red Dirt" is not quite like any film -independent or otherwise - to have come out in some time. Some critics expressed disappointment that this wasn't a great southern romance either straight or gay while others seem to have been unable to connect with the characters.
While the premise is easily recognizable and perhaps, predictable, what Purvis did was take a standard situation - and give it a spin all its own with fresh, inviting characters.
Purvis captures perfectly a small town in the deep South. With deadly silences its soundscape is hauntingly punctuated by birds, wolves, crickets, locust, and endless rain it is immediately haunting yet peaceful.
Another element of the deep south is the employment of crazy women essential to any good southern tale. All four women in this story exhibit varying signs of madness as each attempts to hold on to her deeply hidden, long held secret. Purvis's women exhibit a wondrously wide - and wild - range of emotion bouncing from minor instability, madness profound wisdom and acceptance.
One of the most touching elements of the film was the bonding connection between Emily and Aunt Summer, with Em's final "goodbye" one of those arrestingly beautiful moments so rarely truly captured on film.
The gay repression angle works perfectly here, both men quiet about it, but Dan Montgomery, Jr. as Griffith is so actually socially naïve and stunted as to believe what is going on between he and Lee (a wonderful performance by Walter Goggins) is devoid of any sexual or romantic leanings: a pure friendship. This makes his final unhinging and dangerous rage believable and ultimately moving.
Comments about Karen Black's being "all over the place" are correct, but this is not a bad thing. Her character is just that - emotionally unstable, a lifetime of guilt over her secret which is what is driving her mad. We see that pent up madness within her escaping in her dramatic loony-tune sequences and her escape into her world of music makes perfect sense.
There were complaints of the lack of romantic ending, yet I can't imagine a more classically "romantic" finale then this. Rage, revelation and confusion subside into sadness, forgiveness, self-awareness and acceptance - all as the sun streams down on a glorious southern evening.
Physically, as well, this is a stunning film, the photography breathtaking, the Purvis's use and sense of color vivid and true.
In all honesty I did not expect to enjoy Red Dirt at all and was surprised to find myself drawn to these characters and watching them in their self-imposed exiles all the while futilely trying to connect to each other. A powerful, beautiful, movie that moves at its own pace.
Movie Review: Surprisingly satisfying....
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished watching the DVD of this film for the second time...and for anyone who is thinking about renting it (or buying it) I would heartily recommend it.
Lush scenery, interesting characters, intense dialogue are all here... The acting was more than satisfying to me, particularly that of Walt Groggins, who plays the stranger who rents the cottage. I am in the process of watching a number of films that contain gay themes this month (Happy Gay Pride to all those out there who know what that means) and this movie fits somewhere toward one of the ends in the breadth of the definition of the genre. The ending, though not how I would have wanted the story to end, was still acceptable. I was left with the feeling that things just might continue between the two male characters eventually...but that for now, the happy ending I was looking for would have to wait (a little like real life, ya think?).
My only gripe with the film itself concerns the accents and it's a complaint that I can live with. The southern accents of the different characters here are rathered varied from one another and at times when the characters shout at each other, they seem to dissappear altogether. Another reviewer mentioned that the accents were way over the top when it comes to how people really talk in rural Mississippi, but since I am not a southerner (except for living in NE Florida) I can't agree or disagree with his remark. I can only say that there were times when I couldn't quite understand what was being said. But that problem is easily remedied on a DVD with Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired, a feature I have used time and time again with movies such as this (another film that was greatly helped by SFTHI was Robert Altman's "Gosford Park")
However, that leads to my other gripe...because you see, there were NO offering of subtitles that would have helped me know what was being said. Actually there were very little in way of extras on the DVD at all (except a trailer that I would STRONGLY suggest the viewer not bother with..unless one desires to be misled completely about the nature or feeling of the film). I must confess to being a "DVD Extras" addict and unfortunately, my addiction was sorely unsatisfied by the DVD of this movie.
Five stars because it is well worth watching....minus one star for no DVD extras and a minor peeve about inconsistent accents. Enjoy!
Movie Review: A First Film's Imbalances, but Most Romantic Kiss Ever
Summary: 4 Stars
This is Purvis's first film, and it benefits and suffers from typical first-film issues: great attention to cinematography, colors, scenery, etc., some difficulty in plot and character development and pacing. This is an indie in the truest sense. I think, however, it merrits viewing.The story focuses on a young man and his female cousin, both the last two of their generation stuck in a small, rural Southern town. The red dirt of the title is a prominent thematic in both the soil of the land and even the tint to the cousin's hair. Out of pure drugery and directionlessness, the two cousins engage in a sexual relationship devoid of any passion--a metaphor for their entire condition in this small town.
The young man lives with his aunt who has suffered from mental illness ever since the death of his parents, and an important side story examines the aunt's emergence from mental illness to greater participation in the world.
Eventually, an attractive stranger shows up to rent the cottage in back of the house, played by very attractive Walt Goggins. The stranger and the young man become fast friends, having much in common and sharing a need for "direction." The development of this relationship should have been the focus of the plot, but Purvis glosses over how and why the friendship takes on the intensity that it is.
In short, the two men are falling in love--but it takes a while to get to the point where they are clear that that is happening to them. When it finally does--watch out! Their kiss is the most romantic kiss in cinema I have seen, gay or straight. it is not a sloppy, sexual kiss at all--it is a meaningful, sensual kiss that is at once an act of coming-out, an act of defiance, and act of self-preservation, and an act of intense love. I have to say that the sloth of the rest of the movie was truly worth it to appreciate this particular moment.
This is a fine first showing from Purvis, and I would welcome a remake of this particular film one day (with the same cast) with greater attention to pacing and focused, salient plot and character development.
The movie is worth seeing especially if you are a film buff or are interested in watching the evolution of a director's career. I expect Purvis will blossom into a major player.
Movie Review: Different, subtle, with an indie flair
Summary: 4 Stars
I'll admit that I only watched this movie when Amazon marketed it to me (probably because I've bought a gay-themed movie sometime within the past decade). But then, I was glad that it was brought to my attention."Red Dirt" escaped my radar. Was it even released in the mainstream? Probably not "big screen," but was it even released in indie houses? Anyway, this movie tells the tale of Griffith, who seems to amble about aimlessly through life with some sense of obligation toward his aunt and no way to release his sexual urges except with his only-too-willing cousin. Why do southern-themed movies always seem to be so steeped in social obligation and the concomitant suffocation and angst?
The wonderful scenery and excellent directing job, and empathetic characters (some outstanding, though not superb, acting talent) truly bring you into a mythical world somewhere in the south (I forget where). The story line is somewhere crossed between "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "The Lords of Discipline": drifter (Lee Todd) comes by and "befriends" Griffith, who is so mired in his tragic existence on the family farm that it's difficult to tell if his relationship with Lee Todd is based on sheer boredom with his own existence than with some true feeling underlying homosexual tension, as we're led to believe.
As far as a "gay interest" film (kinda), though, this film is refreshing. Gay politics and stereotypes do not play into the film at all. The characters are remarkably empathetic, and you somehow feel Griffith's pain. The line is blurred, however, between the "male bonding friendship" between the two men and homosexual love, a distinction the movie would have done well to explore. Could these two men not have formed a tight, close friendship -- even loved each other -- without being "in love"?
I suppose the end of the film, therefore, is not only reasonable, but a better resolution than if the two had ridden off into the sunset holding hands. Maybe the two will cross paths again at some other point in time. But maybe not.
The movie is definitely worth the viewing, but not unless you're willing to invest some thought and even some heart.