Scalene

I saw this film at the private screening this past weekend in Indianapolis and left the theater sure that I had just seen what will be one of the best films of 2011. Scalene is the third film by director Zack Parker, though it clearly marks his entry into a whole new caliber of filmmaking. Inexchange (2006) and Quench (2007) were good films, but they were films nonetheless of a director still honing his craft. Scalene, however, is a film that after having seen, people will ask themselves, "why haven't I heard of this guy before?" It epitomizes the very best of what independent film can and should be. This was a low-budget film, but there is nothing about the production that would lead anyone to believe that it didn't have millions of dollars at its disposal. A higher budget would have only meant more expensive actors and crew, but certainly not better. In many ways this is a difficult time for independent filmmakers. The majority of films that now premiere at independent festivals have A-list stars attached to them which attracts audiences and money to the festivals, but makes it more difficult for first-rate productions, like this one, to receive the recognition and exposure they deserve. Often low-budget films don't interest the larger movie-going public because they expect that perhaps the professionalism of the production will be at a level below which they can appreciate or tolerate. Often this is the case. However, I challenge anyone to see this particular film and not come out of the theater with a new-found appreciation of what can be accomplished with relatively little money, but a whole lot of talent.

This Rashomon rip-off does alright with its first two stories, but falls on its ass with the third. Paige's story is so completely ridiculous, so far from the realm of reality, that it embarrasses the rest of the film to be a part of it. The movie does a pretty good job of manipulating emotions until then, but when the turn happens, everything becomes stupid, unbelievable, and ridiculous.

This is not a thriller, it's like a Lifetime movie that attempts to tug at your heartstrings but absolutely fails in the execution. You may experience the first 20 minutes of the film and be impressed, but it throws away all its credibility shortly after.

There are essentially three characters in "Scalene". And with respect to the writers for their rather ingenious title, we can pretend there are three points of view. The first half of the film is spent with the mother, but mostly told backwards in time. She's seeking justice and revenge for the incarceration of her mentally-handicapped son charged with rape. Then we hear from the son and then the abused girl herself.

The mother, played by Margo Martindale, is stressed out to her wits ends and is trying to find someone who can understand what she's going through trying to raise her brain-damaged son who can't speak all on her own. The interesting part about her sequences was telling it in reverse. We first see her after the conviction, then immediately following the incident itself and then a number of scenes leading up to the incident. At this point, we have no idea what happened but it proved to be interesting enough that our curiosity was piqued and tension was high waiting for the big reveal.

Then we hear from the son, Jakob (Adam Scarimbolo), but of course he can't speak. And based on the handful of random, bizarrely shot, meaningless scenes, we can assume he doesn't understand much of the world around him.

Then comes the interesting part of the film – the victim's sequences. Paige Alexander (Hannah Hall) is, at times, an average college student. She's looking for a part time job, one that should advance her in her chosen career of social care. Young and inexperienced, Jakob's mother hires her to take care of Jakob a couple of hours a week because she seems honest and caring. The similarly inexperienced actress Hannah Hall (who got her start as the "young Jenny" in "Forrest Gump") will hopefully go far based on her powerful but extremely tender performance of a girl who was always just trying to figure out the right thing to do. And she more than held her own against the heavy-hitting Martindale.

Paige was an interesting character because she's figuring out just as we are figuring out what is going on. She has a cold respect for her parents but can't turn to them for help since they have lost touch with reality. Her friends haven't experienced what she has experienced and would be unable to offer advice. Paige is strong and independent, but she's forced into a situation where she's scared and alone.

Unfortunately, the problems for "Scalene" come when some of the actions venture far from credible or realistic and sympathy for the characters is all of a sudden hard to come by. But worse is the editing, and/or acting, in the revenge scenes. Characters are hit over the head and fall down the stairs in such a cheesy and artificial manner that it resembles a super low-budget, unintentionally funny, ridiculously stupid horror movie. It is better than that, but only when we've connected to the characters and we're following Paige waiting for the ultimate twist. Before and after that, the film loses most of its edge.

A perceptual thriller told from three points-of-view revolving around the rape of a female college student by a mentally handicapped man and his mother's subsequent revenge after his incarceration.

I have to give this film some credit. I started off not liking it, thinking the acting was poor and the characters unlikeable. The film quality was also somewhat suspect (though this might just be because I was watching a screener and not a "real" release).

As it progressed, I still found the mother's acting to be a bit weak, but the other characters more than made up for her shortcomings. And then the film goes for an emotional punch, and another one, and one more... the characters remain unlikeable, but this turns out to be the beauty of the film. We find it hard to sympathize with the mother, despite her years of hardship. We find it hard to sympathize with the caretaker as her exploitation motives come more and more to the forefront. The only one who seems to come out unscathed is the disabled boy...

Films without heroes are hard to judge. I think people generally walk away feeling dirty or empty inside and therefore want to give the film a bad rating or review. In fact, if they do this, I feel they missed the point. Any film that is able to affect you, make you feel empty or dirty, is powerful. Films make us feel happy or sad all the time, but few really present humanity in all its blemished notoriety.

I want to congratulate Zack Parker on this film. While it is by no means a perfect film, it is a powerful film and an emotional uppercut.

The plot of this film is extremely ambitious and sometimes the director isn't up to par. I have a feeling he was going for noir, something hitchcockian, but it didn't quite work out that way.

I have to wonder, too, how this would look with a better budget. I enjoy the story, but it is also rather over the top and clearly pulling for your heart strings. Maybe a bit more kitchen sink realism would have helped.

I really like the ideas, but... like I said, it tries a little too hard in some areas. A bit overwrought. But good.

Regardless, a really riveting film. There was never a boring moment. Well, except for the scenes that were too drawn out. Other than that though, it was good.