REVIEWS
FORUM
US. 2011. 84mins Director/screenplay Zbigniew Bzymek Production company Made Up Language Producers Zbigniew Bzymek, Courtney Webster, Lauren Hind, Daniel Grossman International sales Made Up Language, madeuplanguage@
gmail.com Cinematography Robert Mleczko Editor Kevin Palmer Music Harvey Valdes Main cast Jim Fletcher, Courtney Webster, Lauren Hind, Arthur French
Utopians REVIEWED BY DAN FAINARU
A test of endurance that even hardcore arthouse crowds might find difficult to crack, Zbigniew Bzymek’s debut feature bears all the hallmarks of an experimental-theatre video artist who is less concerned with narrative clarity or plot structure, preferring to produce flows of images which generate instinctive rather than intellectual emotions. Following three characters who live on the edge and strive
hopelessly to reach some kind of common harmony, the story, as convoluted as it is, remains the image of a failure foretold. But then, according to Bzymek himself, this is just as it should be, since he concedes willingly that, in his eyes, failure is far more interesting than success. Best chances for his effort are naturally audiences who are already familiar with the director’s name and will find it easier to cope with his visual language. Roger (Fletcher, a star of the experimental stage) is a ten-
tative and not-very-successful yoga instructor who collects his disillusioned daughter, Zoe (Webster), as she returns from military service. On the way home, she tells him she intends to pick up her relationship with her former girlfriend, Maya (Hind), officially diagnosed as a schizophrenic. That is about as far as the script is willing to commit to linear
development. From this point on, every ensuing stage is accom- panied by myriad flashbacks which are supposed to expand the viewer’s understanding of the three protagonists, but instead, leads to confusion. Roger tries to find a way for the three of them to live together
and they begin renovating an old friend’s flat. But the constant tensions arising between them affect not only the work but Rog- er’s classes as well. A black pit bull he finds and adopts puts an end to the classes altogether, and by the end of the picture he is left alone, watching the world upside down, until one student shows up, offering a glimpse of hope. Bzymek, born and educated in Poland but based for many
years in New York, uses associations from the past and meta- phoric images to probe the psychological and sexual aspects of the relations between his three characters, but never comes up with distinct conclusions, leaving practically everything wrapped in an obscure veil. This allows his audience a vast margin of speculations. Polish cameraman Robert Mleczko, editor Kevin Palmer and the grating score of guitarist Harvey Valdes seem to have captured Bzymek’s spirit, as do Webster and Hind who not only play lead parts but are also credited as producers.
n 28 Screen International in Berlin February 12, 2011
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