Talking To The Screen
LIE :2001
All independent film lovers have at least one thing in common. We are all tremendously patient.
Every time I sit down to watch an independent movie, I expect to find a beautiful undiscovered gem: an inspiring piece of art that for whatever reason slipped under the radar of mainstream corporate entertainment channels. I like to think that each independent movie is simply too controversial for major studio productions. Far too often, major studios pass on these smaller pictures not because they?re too controversial, but because they?re too uninteresting.
Unfortunately, for my faith in the treasure troves of film festivals ?L.I.E.? falls in the latter category. Truth be told, ?L.I.E.? isn?t completely uninteresting, and it is certainly controversial. It is the story of Howie Blitzer, a sixteen year old who lives on Long Island with his father. His mother died in a car crash on the LIE before the movie opens. Howie is a typical disenchanted suburban youth. He and his friends spend their days drinking beers in parking lots and breaking into affluent houses. The scenes of Howie and his friends play like ?Kids?, but with much less ultra-violence and milder irreverence. What makes ?L.I.E.? even mildly engaging is Howie?s blooming adolescent sexuality, as he develops a crush on one of his friends, Gary. (Yes, I raised my eyebrows too. Howie and Gary? Gay kids with rhyming names. Seems like a mistake to me.)
This storyline goes along nicely for a while, until the introduction of Big John. Big John is publicly well connected and respected, but privately a pedophile with a penchant for adolescent boys. After the first few scenes between Big John and Howie it becomes clear that John isn?t the malicious sexual predator that I associate with pedophilia. He seems to genuinely care about Howie in a paternal sense. There are sexual overtones in a lot of their interactions, but no sexual action.
This premise is rife with possibilities. But there is no conflict to surround a plot around. At no point was I excited in anticipation of what would happen next. Howie isn?t really faced with adversity. Even one of his friends, a generic suburbanite teen is uncharacteristically respectful when confronting Howie about his sexuality. Howie is presented a survivor, capable of floating over trials and tribulations. But there are no trials and no tribulations, even the town pedophile is no match for Howie?s smarmy adolescent confidence.
?L.I.E.? has some great characters, and interesting relationships, particularly the paternal love-triangle between Howie, Big John and Howie?s real father. However, these do not compensate for an otherwise weak story. My patience, tried again by mediocre independent film.
Every time I sit down to watch an independent movie, I expect to find a beautiful undiscovered gem: an inspiring piece of art that for whatever reason slipped under the radar of mainstream corporate entertainment channels. I like to think that each independent movie is simply too controversial for major studio productions. Far too often, major studios pass on these smaller pictures not because they?re too controversial, but because they?re too uninteresting.
Unfortunately, for my faith in the treasure troves of film festivals ?L.I.E.? falls in the latter category. Truth be told, ?L.I.E.? isn?t completely uninteresting, and it is certainly controversial. It is the story of Howie Blitzer, a sixteen year old who lives on Long Island with his father. His mother died in a car crash on the LIE before the movie opens. Howie is a typical disenchanted suburban youth. He and his friends spend their days drinking beers in parking lots and breaking into affluent houses. The scenes of Howie and his friends play like ?Kids?, but with much less ultra-violence and milder irreverence. What makes ?L.I.E.? even mildly engaging is Howie?s blooming adolescent sexuality, as he develops a crush on one of his friends, Gary. (Yes, I raised my eyebrows too. Howie and Gary? Gay kids with rhyming names. Seems like a mistake to me.)
This storyline goes along nicely for a while, until the introduction of Big John. Big John is publicly well connected and respected, but privately a pedophile with a penchant for adolescent boys. After the first few scenes between Big John and Howie it becomes clear that John isn?t the malicious sexual predator that I associate with pedophilia. He seems to genuinely care about Howie in a paternal sense. There are sexual overtones in a lot of their interactions, but no sexual action.
This premise is rife with possibilities. But there is no conflict to surround a plot around. At no point was I excited in anticipation of what would happen next. Howie isn?t really faced with adversity. Even one of his friends, a generic suburbanite teen is uncharacteristically respectful when confronting Howie about his sexuality. Howie is presented a survivor, capable of floating over trials and tribulations. But there are no trials and no tribulations, even the town pedophile is no match for Howie?s smarmy adolescent confidence.
?L.I.E.? has some great characters, and interesting relationships, particularly the paternal love-triangle between Howie, Big John and Howie?s real father. However, these do not compensate for an otherwise weak story. My patience, tried again by mediocre independent film.