Brick (Rian Johnson 2005)
Posted on October 30 at 15.22, 2006 by Eric Mahleb
The film noir transported to a present-day high school in Southern California.
Except that in this high school, only a few kids seem to occupy the premises, the principal strikes some unusual deals with the students, mothers offer glasses of milk to gang members and the high school itself and the grounds around it seem to exist somewhat out of time and out of space, a fake reality that plays with our senses, expectations and paradigms.
In this parallel universe, a remarkably intelligent and unusually physically robust young man, plays detectives and hunts down the killer of his ex-girlfriend. Film theorists could have a field day with Brick and its representation of a reality that exists in between that of the traditional film noir genre and a present day high-school drama. Like Primer and even Memento to a lesser extent, Brick uses intelligence to overcome the limitations of the medium (and the budget). But just like these two films, it sometimes suffers from too much intelligence in its relentless and unremitting effort towards cleverness, forgetting along the way that emotions are a strong element of the cinematic experience.
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One Response to “Brick”
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vancinema Says:
May 16, 2011 at 1.00Dan Zukovic’s “DARK ARC”, a modern noir dark comedy called “Absolutely brilliant…truly and completely different…” in Film Threat, was recently released on DVD by Vanguard Cinema. (http://vanguardcinema.com/darkarc/darkarc.htm). The film had it’s world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival and it’s US premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival. Featuring Sarah Strange (“White Noise”), Kurt Max Runte (“X-Men”, “Battlestar Gallactica”) and Dan Zukovic (director and star of the cult comedy “The Last Big Thing”).
*****! (Five Stars) “Absolutely brilliant…truly and completely different…something you’ve never tasted before…” Film Threat
“A black comedy about a very strange love triangle!” Seattle Times
“Consistently stunning images…a bizarre blend of art, sex and opium, “Dark Arc” plays like a candy-coloured version of David Lynch.” IFC News
“Sarah Strange is as decadent as Angelina Jolie thinks she is…don’t see this movie sober!” Metroactive Movies
“Equal parts Film Noir intrigue, pop culture send-up, brain teaser and visual feast.” American Cinematheque