China White Serpentine

This movie packs an emotional punch. The tripped-out, drug-amped characters – portrayed by Jason Allen Wolfe, Eli DeGeer, and Amanda Booth – are entangled in a web of deceit and sexual enslavement. The story is represented beautifully with a mix of sexual and horrifying visuals coupled with well-acted roles that embody the downward spiral of drug and sex addictions. The directing combination of low-budget movie veteran Eric Stanze (SAVAGE HARVEST, ICE FROM THE SUN, SCRAPBOOK) and relative newcomer Robin Garrels (INSANIAC) lends to a new look for independent movies. The music score used, also adds to the whole experience, helping to immerse you in this twisted maze of a story. I have watched this movie several times and it holds up each time I watch it. I highly recommend this movie. - Sid Stirling

I've enjoyed some of Eric Stanze's previous films (ICE FROM THE SUN, SCRAPBOOK, etc.) and when I heard he teamed up with Robin Garrels (who wrote and starred in INSANIAC, which is another film I enjoyed) to make this movie, I thought it would be interesting to see.

You can tell that both Stanze and Garrels are big fans of David Lynch with its bizarre, expressive storyline that doesn't always make sense (although the pieces do all add up if you think about it) and interesting well-composed visuals. The movie also has a very rich electronic soundtrack (which you can listen to separately on the DVD on an isolated track...very cool) which adds to the movie's twisted ambiance. I was also impressed by the performances. DJ Vivona, who was great in ICE FROM THE SUN, does good work here, and Eli DeGeer gave a solid, emotional performance, but I thought Jason Allen Wolfe totally stole the show. Where did this guy come from? He did an awesome job in this and I was excited to read that he has a role in Stanze latest flick, DEADWOOD PARK. Can't wait to check that one out! CHINA WHITE SERPENTINE has lots of skin, solid acting, creative camera work, and a little blood thrown in for good measure. What else can you ask for in a low-budget flick? A great collaboration between two of the indie scenes more creative filmmakers. Check it out!

The baseline story behind China White Serpentine that of 2 addicts trapped by their own addictions and a sadistic dealer/porn queen is a brilliant plot and superbly played out. That is where the film should have stopped. I understand that Eric Stanze (Savage Harvest 2, Ice From the Sun, Scrapbook), is known for his horror genre work, but this time he could have pulled off a stellar erotic drama and had a far better film.

The true horror in the base plot lies not in the secondary horror concept, but in the more dramatic and true-life horror of junkies bent on maintaining their fix of sex and drugs. Amanda Booth's performance in the dual roles worked well, but Robin Garrels skill as an actor was by far the most impressive and believable of the cast.

All in all the film works for what it is, a B-movie. I believe that had Stanze and Garrels limited themselves to a more adult drama, the film may have garnered them mainstream attention, certainly a Festival invitation.

ROBIN GARRELS: I've always been interested in dreams, which for me are hugely cinematic. I started writing (or rather, my dad started writing for me) my dreams in a notebook when I was four. One of them – at age seven - specifically said in the heading "like a movie" and was about elephants turning into Indians after "four years of being dead." Whew. I figured out that I wanted to write when I was 12, after making a conscious decision not to chase the ice cream truck, then waxing philosophical about it on the back porch in late August. I was editor for our high school lit magazine, majored in English in college, then got a playwriting internship in L.A. at a theatre company for one year - which is what led me to start a theatre company upon returning to St. Louis, where I consequently met Eric Stanze. So making movies was never the intent, and those I've made have been learning experiences more than anything, but now I'm hooked, and humbly wish to get better at it. ------------------------------ neiljones69

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