Cry for Bobo

One of the legacies of post-war British cinema is social realism. Another is the gangster film. The former is championed by affiliates of the Leigh-Loach-`Play for Today' school. The latter by those who mistake Tarantino (et al) for Melies. I have no quarrel with any of them, but allow me a big `Thank Christ!' for CRY FOR BOBO. It's so rare to find a film that kicks out conventions (especially in this most convention-ridden of film production areas: the state-funded short film) and so opens the gates to a flood of cinematic imagination. And CRY FOR BOBO delivers this in aces; a hyper-kinetic blast of (caricatured? Grosz grotesquerie? Cartoon-like? Downright surreal? Felliniesque?) clowning around. that is: literally clowning around. Belly laughs are the order of the day here. And the director has the audacity to take the pith out of both schools, with scenes of faux-gritty social realism (albeit with clowns.) and, without wanting to spoil the ending, High Peckinpahisms. The creators of this film are undoubtedly cine-literate and anarchic individuals, yet with the discipline to strike an absolutely correct balance - especially in terms of the (arresting) performances - and implement a streamlined, confident, professional product. Good on Tartan Shorts for supporting this! We need to see more from David Cairns and his team!

While others are flocking to their local movie houses to watch the new blockbusters, I find myself at smaller venues and film festivals watching short films. The beauty of short films is that if you don't like them, hey, they're almost over.

This was not the case with 'Cry for Bobo'. I saw this film for my first time at the Milano Film Festival. It had premiered there 4 years before and was still the talk of movie-goers and staff alike. It had become something of a cult film, and rightfully so. I watched it 3 more times and found more to love about it each time.

The casting was right on the mark. The lead was played by an actor who I actually believe is a clown everyday of his life, makeup and all. He played Bobo with a sort of complexity that made you wonder if, like any oppressed minority, he questioned who he was on the inside (behind the make-up and silly toys). Smaller supporting roles were just the right touch; I'm thinking specifically about Bobo's clown family who were so sad at times, I wanted to reach out and tell them: "Yes the world can be cruel, but I will never again treat a clown they way you've been treated!" I was amused and yet, strangely perplexed by my sympathetic feelings. The role of the police detective was played with the right amount of theatrical pompous. Often in this type of role, there is a fine line between playing the part and overplaying it. Kudos to the Director on a fine job understanding this boundary and overcoming it in this film.

It goes unsaid, but the Production Design was fantastic (as it needs to be for a film like this one). I have a feeling that the extraordinary detail that we see and notice in the film is really only half of what is actually there. The subtlety of a movie that is so absurd (in the best sense of the word) makes it a true work of art. Afterall, as 'Cry for Bobo' tells us in the end, the best way to reach people is to make them laugh. I left the theater each time whistling the score and remembering, if only for the sake of Bobo, I have to keep on laughing!

'Cry For Bobo' is almost wilfully incomprehensible. Its best gags are ripped off wholesale from The Simpsons' 'Krusty Gets Busted' episode, the remaining gags are insultingly bad, and the casting is ill-judged (note to filmmakers: when the sidekick's funnier than the lead your film's in trouble).

The production values are very high for a short film- the costumes, sets & cinematography are all superb- but this really begs the question: why do funding commissions insist on throwing huge amounts of money at mind-numbing garbage like this?

If you happen to catch 'Cry For Bobo' at a film festival, make better use of the 8 minute running time by going for a toilet break.

I caught this on TV a while back and found it one of the freshest, funniest shorts I've seen in years. Have to wonder if I saw the same film as the gentleman who found it "incomprehensible". It is, indeed, continually inventive, but it's just that richness that makes it such good material for reviewings (fortunately I taped it). But the plot itself is completely lucid even on a first watch (which may be one reason my kids love it). The cast is uniformly excellent, captures just the right "off" tone -- and actually give the film's "criminal clown" mythos a surprising depth, though this may be a thankless thing to say of a film which aims primarily to entertain. Entertainment of such wit and flair is a rare enough thing these days -- I hope there's more to come from this director.