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alexxkayThis is a Coen Brothers film which ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kestrell and I just saw. We are big fans of theirs, but have only actually seen about half of their movies so far.
Many of their films have film noir influences, but this one is more explicit about it than usual. Set sometime around 1950, filmed in black & white, and with tons of noir visual tropes (it's a rare scene that *doesn't* have a stark silhouette, or alternating bars of light and darkness).
The protagonist/narrator is a meek, mild barber, who is almost exactly what he appears to be. This being a noir, I expected a shady past to be revealed, but no. He really is totally boring. As the title suggests, he's "not there" -- invisible and having no effect upon the world. At least, that's how he sees himself. Until an unexpected business opportunity spurs him into blackmail, and things begin to spin further and further out of control. Not that he was ever in control of anything to begin with, not really.
The barber is played, most excellently, by Billy Bob Thornton. It's a challenging job to play someone who is *almost* entirely without affect, and still keep the audience both interested and sympathetic.
Tony Shalhoub (well known these days for his tv show Monk) has a medium-sized role as "the best lawyer in the state". Several lawyers end up appearing in this story, though the others do so only tangentially. They all share one significant trait: a complete lack of interest in either Truth or Justice. All they care about is the Story, one that sounds good enough to get the verdict they want.
In a way, this film is a story about unreliable narratives, although it isn't one itself, in the normal sense. The narrator, as far as I can tell, is forthright and truthful with the audience throughout. But every character in the story, including him, has a story that 'explains' their life, and which is founded upon mistakes, misunderstandings, delusions, or outright lies. The hotshot lawyer cites (badly) Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle: "The more you look, the less you know." Of course, neither he nor any of the other characters actually *want* to know, nor do they spend much time looking.
It's a bleak and depressing film, though frequently leavened with the Coen Brothers' quirky sense of humor. If you don't mind that, then it comes highly recommended.
kestrell and I just saw. We are big fans of theirs, but have only actually seen about half of their movies so far.Many of their films have film noir influences, but this one is more explicit about it than usual. Set sometime around 1950, filmed in black & white, and with tons of noir visual tropes (it's a rare scene that *doesn't* have a stark silhouette, or alternating bars of light and darkness).
The protagonist/narrator is a meek, mild barber, who is almost exactly what he appears to be. This being a noir, I expected a shady past to be revealed, but no. He really is totally boring. As the title suggests, he's "not there" -- invisible and having no effect upon the world. At least, that's how he sees himself. Until an unexpected business opportunity spurs him into blackmail, and things begin to spin further and further out of control. Not that he was ever in control of anything to begin with, not really.
The barber is played, most excellently, by Billy Bob Thornton. It's a challenging job to play someone who is *almost* entirely without affect, and still keep the audience both interested and sympathetic.
Tony Shalhoub (well known these days for his tv show Monk) has a medium-sized role as "the best lawyer in the state". Several lawyers end up appearing in this story, though the others do so only tangentially. They all share one significant trait: a complete lack of interest in either Truth or Justice. All they care about is the Story, one that sounds good enough to get the verdict they want.
In a way, this film is a story about unreliable narratives, although it isn't one itself, in the normal sense. The narrator, as far as I can tell, is forthright and truthful with the audience throughout. But every character in the story, including him, has a story that 'explains' their life, and which is founded upon mistakes, misunderstandings, delusions, or outright lies. The hotshot lawyer cites (badly) Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle: "The more you look, the less you know." Of course, neither he nor any of the other characters actually *want* to know, nor do they spend much time looking.
It's a bleak and depressing film, though frequently leavened with the Coen Brothers' quirky sense of humor. If you don't mind that, then it comes highly recommended.