God's Angry Voyeur

As a screenwriter who pens primarily non-Hollywood fare, Filmbrain is interested in keeping up (somewhat) with the American indie scene. Unfortunately, too many films by first time writer-directors are either very film-school, or simply remakes of a hundred other indie films. There was that period in the mid-90's where almost every second indie film was about a white, male, 20-something going through a 'crisis' over choosing a career and finding the right girl. Yawn to the nth degree. Occasionally though, there was the small film that received hardly any attention, even less distribution, yet was really something special. Mark Hanlon's 1999 film Buddy Boy is one of those films. What's most impressive (especially for a first film) is that all the elements fall into place here -- the screenplay is wonderful, the acting top notch, and the direction doesn't needlessly call attention to itself. It's also not easily classifiable, which most likely explains its limited release. (Even though critically it was well received.) Francis (Irish actor Aidan Gillen) is a shy, stuttering young man in his 20's who shares a dilapidated apartment with his invalid mother Sal (Susan Tyrell) in a bleak, depressing building in a non-descript city. He works at a photo-finishing lab where he spends his days touching up other people's photos while his manager reads magazines and listens to blaring death-metal. At night, he spies on his beautiful French neighbor Gloria (Emmanuelle Seigner) through a peephole. (Only now did Filmbrain realize the religious connotations of their names.) The two eventually meet, and an unlikely relationship begins. But can Francis differentiate between the real Gloria and the one he knows through the peephole? And what's all this about being a vegan? When watching the film, Filmbrain immediately thought of two Roman Polanski films -- The Tenant, and Repulsion. This is probably not a coincidence, and it's a safe bet that Emmanuelle Seigner's (Mrs. Roman Polanski) presence is somehow connected to the filmmaker's inspiration. Like Polanski, Hanlon spends a lot of time on the apartment itself, and draws a sharp contrast between Francis' nightmare lodgings and Gloria's simple yet pristine haven. Francis and Sal's apartment has pus-colored walls that sweat filth. There's a rotting bathtub with rusted pipes, and the stained furniture looks as though it's been around since the 50's. It's impossible to watch the apartment scenes and not feel dirty. Susan Tyrell, best known for her work in films like John Huston's Fat City or Richard Elfman's Forbidden Zone is magnificent as Sal -- the scary, constantly sweaty, pill popping, crack smoking, so-dirty-you-can-smell-her, Christian amputee. (It's a remarkable performance that should have received more notice.) The relationship between Francis and Sal is interesting (to say the least). He feeds her cans of SMEAT (a Spam-like canned meat product) or cat food (when he's annoyed with her) and usually winds up carrying her unconscious body up the stairs every night. Adding to his anxiety is Sal's budding relationship with a sleazy plumber (character actor Mark Boone Junior). Though Sal fills Francis' head with Christian guilt, his occasional confessions at church offer him no solace. Given this sort of home life, it's no wonder Francis' grip on reality starts to loosen. Much like the two aforementioned Polanski films, Buddy Boy is told almost entirely from Francis' perspective. As it was with those films (and, to a certain extant, Rosemary's Baby) we are unable to ascertain with any degree of certainty what is and is not real. And like Polanski, Hanlon manages to find a perfect mixture of horror, drama, and dark comedy. Francis is a bit more sympathetic than The Tenant's Trelkovsky, and the scenes where his delusions get the better of him are quite moving. Gloria truly appears to love him, even though Francis believes she's a cannibal. (You'll just have to see the film.) The film never loses momentum, nor does it suffer from final-reel stupidity. The appropriately ambiguous ending fits perfectly with the rest of the film. What's strange is that, after such an impressive debut, Hanlon seems to have dropped out of sight. The only other IMDB reference is as the screenwriter of the 2002 horror-flick Ghost Ship. If anybody knows of what he's up to (or how to contact him), please drop Filmbrain a line. Buddy Boy is sadly not available on DVD in this country, though there is a Japanese release. It also shows up on IFC regularly. See it if you can.

Comments

[Marleigh]

Here's hoping that Hanlon's contribution to Ghost Ship was within the first ten minutes, since those were the only redeemable moments of the film. The rest was an agony of terribly cliched writing and a completely predictable ending. Overall, a terrible disappointment—but the catastrophe that opens it is quite a sight!

[Filmbrain]

Most likely the script he turned is was molested by studio execs. I can't imagine that, even for money, he could/would write something that lousy.

[Marleigh]

May I take this moment to remind you of Shakespeare in Love? Or even the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which Tobe Hooper co-wrote? I'm sure there was some molestation, mostly in the form of editing, but that doesn't necessarily excuse crimes against the script.

A big enough paycheck does wonders for most people's tolerance for sub-par crap in their screenplays.

Geez, don't I sound cynical?

[FIlmbrain]

Fair enough.

However, Ghost Ship was a spec script, so I'd like to at least imagine it started out better than it ended up.

[Marleigh]

I'd hate to think than any capable writer was responsible for that pile, so I'll stick with you in your imaginings.

[Tribe]

Great, great. I'm looking forward to buying this when it comes out on DVD. Thanks for the heads up on your review.