Lymelife

Derick Martini's film 'Lymelife' is a fairly conventional, low key tale of growing up in a dysfunctional, suburban family on Long Island. It features a very typical performance from Alex Baldwin, a painfully convincing teenage sex scene and a surprising ending that shies away from sentimentality but which left in two minds: in some ways, the mood of the whole film sits awkwardly between heartwarming and unbearable awfulness, and perhaps there was no single conclusion that might have made it all seem right. Indeed, the better stuff in this movie comes when the subject is less black, more ordinary; elsewhere, it can be hard to watch.

I attended the World Premiere of "Lymelife" at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. This touching but occasionally disturbing coming-of-age story was, literally, a labor of brotherly love. Director Derick Martini and his brother Steven not only wrote the screenplay together but they also co-edited it. Adding to those responsibilities, Steven composed the music and was one of the producers.

Based on events in their own lives, the brothers Martini have crafted a story of love and denial, mystery and tragedy.

The film focuses on two families, the Bartletts and the Braggs. The adults here -- Alec Baldwin and Jill Hennessy as Micky and Brenda Bartlett, Timothy Hutton and Cynthia Nixon as Charlie and Melissa Bragg -- are woefully flawed and ill-equipped role models for their children -- Rory and Kieran Culkin as Scott and Jimmy Bartlett, Emma Roberts as Adrianna Bragg. When Scott and Adrianna begin to discover the joys of young love, the road down which they travel is as full of promise as the Long Island Rail Road tracks that carry the ever-present trains past their houses.

"Lymelife" has the classic, bona fide look and feel of a true American indie. The 70s soundtrack is a real crowd pleaser. Long Island's bucolic setting betrays the tension and deception that lies just beneath the surface of these dysfunctional families.

Photography is topnotch, and cinematographer Frank Godwin fills the film with long takes and tracking shots (Gus Van Sant fans will be pleased) which help build tension and allow the audience to stay in tune with the film's ebbs and flows. Many scenes without dialogue are among the most powerful as Martini allows Rory's face and eyes to say more than any script could (think "Mean Creek").

The entire ensemble cast turn in standout performances. Timothy Hutton and Cynthia Nixon are particularly impressive. But, most of all, Rory Culkin carries this film. His relationship with his brother offscreen translates onto the screen so well that it's hard to tell where the acting ends and the Culkins begin. In fact, Martini said he often left the camera rolling and didn't yell "cut," in order to capture their playfulness. If the interaction between the brothers felt authentic, it may be because much of what is seen on screen was improvised. That's why it seemed so real and painful, because it was.

Despite some dark themes, "Lymelife" has quite a bit of humor in it. Imagine a slightly lighter "American Beauty" or "Snow Angels." In fact, Culkin's relationship with Emma Roberts is, along with that of Michael Angarano and Olivia Thirlby in "Snow Angels," one of the the best depictions of first love and awkward sexual encounters I've ever seen.

Ironically, Martini's style is also quite similar to that of David Gordon Green, who directed "Snow Angels." He allows much of the action to come from the actors themselves as opposed to his own direction.

Despite the film's many twists and turns, "Lymelife" is ultimately a story of the wonders of discovery. More than anything, what we discover are the possibilities presented by youth.

The Toronto experience is unlike any other. First, Martini introduced the film. In fact, they delayed the screening as long as they could and he tried to vamp onstage for awhile since Kieran and Rory were held up in traffic. He eventually decided to roll the film, and just as he was about to turn over the mike and walk offstage "his boys" walked in. He didn't want to start it without them. So right from the start there was a bond between the filmmaker, cast, and audience. It was one of the festival's small venues so it was packed.

The exciting Q&A after the screening was truly a family affair with both the brothers Martini and Culkin in attendance. Very few people left as the credits rolled since the film leaves many points open to interpretation. Martini was exceptional. It was one of the best Q&As I've attended (and that numbers in the hundreds). He was upbeat, friendly, and willing to discuss a lot of the "behind the scenes" aspects. Many filmmakers are a bit shy onstage and reluctant to open up. He was not.

I chose "Lymelife" as one of my 5 Top Picks from this year's festival (out of 30 films). It also won the prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery and is now making the rounds of the festival circuit. Screen Media picked up the film for distribution and it hits theaters on April 8, 2009.

Finally, a movie that doesn't take itself too seriously while tackling some serious issues. As an American living in Canada I see the condition of my home country today and this film feels like a prelude, or a humorous set up to the state of the country today. It seems this is unintentional as the screenplay was written during better economic times, but it sure is a strange coincidence. The astute observation of how many Americans become consumed with success that failure becomes inevitable. And the story is told with a raw unpretensiousness that doesn't insult you. It unfolds in a credible fashion, parents bickering, kids flirting, a brutal revenge on a bully then turns as serious as it is funny. the line between serious drama and hilariouis humor is so finely balanced that it's almost surgically seamless. I like when a movie keeps me off balance and in Lymelife you never quite know if you're going to kicked in the stomach or laughing hysterically. According to IMDb the film was made in 22 days for 1 million dollars. This I don't believe. It just doesn't seem possible. But then again, you can argue that the time and money constraints forced some very clever film-making. I especially enjoyed the cuts to little model homes with little plastic people and the characters being seen in reflections, I'm assuming the idea is the people on screen are reflections of who we are. But I don't know because it's not really spelled out. I'm just using my imagination. I recommend seeing it for yourself. I may even go back again for one scene in particular between the great Timothy Hutton and the brilliant Alec Baldwin. their only time on screen together and it is not only the best scene in the film but one of the most memorable scenes in recent film history.

by

ex-patriot who still loves America.

Like many US indie films, there's real sense of the extraordinary coming through from the very ordinary, here, with Lymelife.

Throughout, there was a real sense of odd detachment about it, especially in the scenes with the sufferer of the disease (Lymes) in question, Timothy Hutton, who keeps seeing a deer from his sick bed and then goes off out into the winter landscape to hunt it down, with a rifle....

The film itself was on late on BBC2 and I wish now that I'd been more alert to appreciate it, but what I did, is certainly memorable enough. Like Ang Lee's excellent The Ice Storm (set in the same 1970's) and in commuter belt Long Island, it's a gritty and often unsettlingly difficult to watch relationship drama. The family politics go haywire as father Alec Baldwin has an affair, which is one story and the other, that other reviewers have touched on, is of Rory Culkin finding his sexuality amongst this upset and upheaval.

Apart from the often cringe-inducing 'fashions' and hairstyles, it is probably his touching and nuanced performance as he fumbles with finding his first sexual experience that is the most memorable. Against the backdrop of Baldwin's often self righteous shouting rants, you can't but feel for him and his vulnerability and innocence.

As always, buying yet another DVD to view a film properly is offset against cash, so I might have to wait for it to reappear on TV somewhere before I can be reacquainted. I feel that it has the capabilities of being a very fine film, if offbeat and well worth taking a second look at. Intrigued!

I can't wait for my next three-Martini film! If Lymelife can be done in less than a month, let's have at least two more before year's end––the last positioned for awards season. Yes, I worry this remarkable film will be unheralded and forgotten in eight months. I can visualize every member of this excellent cast reading the script and beginning to drool. All this tight, little character-driven story needed was a cast that knew whereof it spoke and a director who could give that cast's instincts and improvisational abilities free rein. Obviously, the Martini brothers with a cathartic, autobiographical exercise in familial dysfunction said, "Hey, the Culkins will know where we're coming from!" And do they ever! The scenes between the brothers are heartbreaking in their awareness of fraternal love and filial disillusionment.

The sexual initiation scenes are tender, funny and soooo real. The floundering, faulty adults, right on the nose! This is Timothy Hutton's best work since Ordinary People.

The 1979 setting is subtly established by the scrupulously selected music and the vehicles of the time. The only effort to tie in current events in this post-Viet Nam war-weary era is an almost subliminal reference to the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran. And this is all so right, because the characters and relationships, which is what we're here for, are timeless.

The symbolism––right up to the real estate baron bearing the cross of a For Sale sign––hits just the right note. if you have a chance to see this film, go.