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"Disturbed Or Evil?
You Decide" |
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Directed by James Marsh
- Written by James
Marsh, Milo Addica
Starring Gael Garcia
Bernal, William Hurt,
Pell James, Laura
Harring, Paul Dano
Distributed by THINKFilm -
2006 - 105mins - Rated
NR |
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Richard Propes'
Review
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A- |
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The devil made me do it. |
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In "The King," one of
two films to open up the 2006 Indianapolis International Film
Festival, Gael Garcia Bernal plays Elvis, a young man recently
released from the U.S. Navy who decides to "go home" to the father
he's never known in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The father, unbeknownst to Elvis, has become Pastor David Sandow
(William Hurt), a popular preacher with a loving family, including
wife (Laura Harring), a college-bound son Paul (Paul Dano) and a
virginal Malerie, his 16-year-old daughter (Pell James).
When "The King" played at Cannes, there were critics who labeled the
film nihilistic and one, in particular, called the film "morally
noxious."
It is easy to understand why many would consider "The King" a
distasteful film. It is a challenging film in which director James
Marsh never once takes the easy way out into stereotypical
suspense/thriller film-making. The end result might more closely
resemble a cross between "Mulholland Drive" and "A History of
Violence" with slightly Tarantino-esque emotional touches mixed in.
It's a bizarre, uncomfortable combination that somehow works nearly
all the time.
Perhaps what audiences may find most disturbing about "The King" is
its lack of explanation. Elvis is, in fact, a young man seemingly
capable of great cruelty and great tenderness...almost simultaneously.
In fact, as I watched him toward the end of the film I kept thinking
of Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho."
As Elvis, Bernal offers yet another in his seemingly endless string of
magnificent performances. Bernal's Elvis is a controlled emotions
belie an apparently Black Hole somewhere deep within him. This is
Bernal's first English-speaking role and his English, as well as his
performance, is flawless. Watching Bernal go from his apparent
innocent flirtations with Malerie to a full-fledged relationship that
results in a tragic confrontation between Elvis and Paul is
astounding, emotionally charged and stunningly authentic.
As Pastor Sandow, William Hurt offers his best performance in years.
Hurt takes a role that could easily have become a caricature and turns
the Pastor into a man of deep conviction, faith and regret. If the
Academy really believed that Hurt deserved an Oscar nomination for
last year's "A History of Violence," then I can't fathom his being
looked over for a nomination this year. At the very minimum, an
Independent Spirit nomination should be a lock.
Marsh co-wrote the script with Milo Addica, who also wrote "Birth" and
"Monster's Ball." It should come as no surprise, then, that the film
is willing to go places, say things and propose things that the vast
majority of the American public will consider stunningly offensive.
Did Nicole Kidman bathing with the young man in "Birth" offend you?
Well, then, the notion of Elvis seducing Malerie, his half-sister,
should creep you out even more. Watching how this plays out becomes
dramatically and tragically mesmerizing. Addica and Marsh's script is
remarkably understated with slight dialogue that never resorts to
histrionics or dramatics to make its point.
Because Marsh refuses to provide answers to even the most dramatic
questions posed in "The King," it becomes an uncomfortable film to
watch. Without an explanation, one never knows completely what to
expect from Elvis and the ending, in particular, leaves virtually
every possibility open yet the film ends with one of the best closing
lines I've heard in recent years.
The cinematography by Eigil Bryld is remarkable in its ranging from
tender and sweet during early scenes between Malerie and Elvis to
scenes that are intense and haunting in the latter half of the film.
The film's soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment, and even many of the
church scenes carry the perfect feeling of a small-town church.
"The King" is going to be a hard-sell at the box-office due to James
Marsh's unyielding vision for the film. It would have been relatively
easy to have turned this into an infinitely more marketable film,
however, that would have ended up making it just like every other
suspense/thriller on the market. Instead, "The King" becomes something
special because it never compromises.
"The King" is an intelligent, disturbing thriller because we grow to
care about these characters without really ever understanding their
histories and their motivations. With stand-out performances by Gael
Garcia Bernal and William Hurt and involving performances from the
rest of the supporting cast, "The King" is a must-see for fans of
innovative, intelligent and uncompromising independent cinema.
"The King" opens in limited release in the United States on May 19,
2006. |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
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