Wednesday, July 02, 2008

INDIE FILM RECOMMENDATION: THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE


I am a bit of an amateur cinephile (aka Film Geek), so from time to time I will use this space to recommend independent films which I have encountered that I believe really should be seen by folks who are seeking cinematic pleasure off the beaten path. These recommendations will not be "reviews" so much as little teasers intended to pique the independent film-goer's interest in the film. Some of the films will be new releases, some will be old films, but all of them will be films that, for one reason or another, have ignited that indie film geek spark in me, and which I want to share with you.

The first film I would like to recommend is "The Guatemalan Handshake" written and directed by Todd Rohal. I hesitated to make this film my first film recommendation because the director and cast are largely unknown and I honestly believe that the vast majority of film-goers would summarily dismiss it as an incomprehensible, low budget steaming pile of shit.

Is it incomprehensible? Yes, at times. Is it low budget? Certainly...it was made for under $200,000. Is it a steaming pile of shit? Yes again...but I mean that in only the best possible way. It is a steaming pile of shit in the sense that it surprises you, evokes a visceral reaction from you, forces you to change your course, and lingers with you the way only a bold sensory experience could.

The story revolves around the mysterious disappearance of Donald, played by Will Oldham (who some might recognize as the alt-folk musician Bonnie 'Prince' Billy), following a town-wide power surge, and follows the oddball events which transpire in the wake of this event. That is the only synopsis you are going to get from me. Trying to ascribe a "plot" to this film would be like trying to admire the Eiffel Tower by reading its engineering specifications.

Think David Lynch meets Terrence Malick. Think Napoleon Dynamite as directed by Alejandro Jodowrosky. Think Todd Solondz in a better mood.

Or, as David Gordon Green (Director of "George Washington" and "All the Real Girls") explains in an essay he prepared regarding "Guatemalan Handshake" and which is included in the new deluxe 2-disc DVD for the film:

The Guatemalan Handshake is a confident vision of the absurd, but it never crosses the line of being weird for weird's sake. It rises to the occasion of inspired filmmaking playfulness in ways of the pioneers: Fritz Lang, George Kuchar, Jacques Tati, Robert Downey Sr. and Alejandro Jodorowsky. Its heart is never lost in its humorist roots. Each technical contribution is far above the requirements of low budget filmmaking. It raises the bar and illustrates what can be done if smart people get in a room and decide to become the band that sets the new standard rather than dry humping the Top 40 countdown. Nothing feels cheap nor compromised. Performances are either naturalistic and highly believable, or perfectly stilted in the caricatures of the modern day fairy tale. It juggles a unique structure and is equipped with transitions that open gateways to other plots and sequences that we can only assume exist in this alternate reality. This is a movie where we drop into people's lives without explanation and see them at their most vulnerable. It is as insightful as it is ridiculous. Human moments of awkward connections and missed opportunities and life-changing failures are on display in glorious 35mm widescreen. This film is about the beauty within the buttcrack and the sadness behind a fart joke.


I could not have said it better myself.

You will either love or despise this movie. If you love it, please share it with friends. If you hate it, then I would love to hear why. I certainly will not judge you by suggesting that you "just didn't get" it. In fact, I'm not even sure I "got it" and, to be honest, that's what intrigues me most.

1 comment:

nina r. said...

I completely agree with you about this film. I loved it, and am still not really sure I get it. Some of the best films leave you with that intriguing ambiguity. I find myself wondering an awful lot of things about that film and really wanting to know more, but in a way that doesn't irritate me like a poorly written film would. Nicely done.