Too Many Ingredients

Things I Don't Understand, the new film from writer-director David Spaltro is like one of those entrées served a a chic eatery with too many ingredients. The dish is certainly interesting and there are some unique flavors, but you wish the chef would have simplified things, as it most surely would have been much more satisfying.

This is not to say that Things isn't an interesting and watchable film; any project with as many misfits as there are in this modern urban tale is worth your while. But the film is all over the place, rarely finding a center, as there are just too many subplots.

This is the second film for Spaltro, whose initial work Around, was quite enjoyable (read my review here.) That work, largely an autobiographical opus about a young man getting over his anxieties in his move to the big city of New York and making his way through film school, was endearing and quite honest. Now with Things, Spaltro has expanded his vision and his storytelling, giving us a group of characters that have problems everywhere they turn, be it their self-identity, getting a job, making enough money to pay the rent as well as getting laid. Did I mention they have problems?

The main character, Violet Kubelick (Molly Ryman) is writing a thesis about what it feels like to die; she interviews people that have had near-death experiences. One day she meets a very young woman named Sara (Grace Folsom) who has bone cancer as well as a lung condition that combined give her only months, perhaps weeks to live. Violet is a bit insecure when first meeting Sara and more than just a bit unsure of what to say to her. Sara does her best to make Violet feel at ease, but it takes time for Violet to make sense of this situation.

Violet lives with two roommates, one male, Remy (Hugo Dillon) and one female, Gabby (Meissa Hampton); he's a wannabe musician who refuses to get a real job, while she's an actress trying to get her new play produced. Together the three struggle to make enough money to keep the place they're living in, which just happens to be conveniently located above a bar, tended by Parker (Aaron Mathias), whom Violet wants to sleep with in the worst way.

This jumble of characters and story lines make for some interesting moments, but much of this is formulaic (Gabby's play is ridiculously New Age, Parker's got a secret he doesn't want to tell Violet, etc, etc.). It's when Spaltro deals with the relationship between Violet and Sara that is when this film really grabs our attention; it does that with sharp dialogue, fine acting and uncomplicated direction.

At one point, Violet lays down with Sara in her bed at the hospice at which she is a patient. Violet has become less anxious with her visits to Sara, as she realizes that this terminally ill patient has a better grasp on life's mysteries than most of her friends. Still Sara wonders why she has to be a victim and why she has to die so young. It's a beautifully written scene and it's the best in the film, no doubt as it's about the most heartfelt.

If the film had dealt with more honest emotions such as this, Things I Don't Understand could have really been a treasure. It's just not that insightful and as I tired of the mess these characters have to deal with, I grew a bit weary of the film; for me, this was 15-20 minutes too long.

It really is a shame I didn't care for this film as much as I thought I would, as I did enjoy Around. In some ways, Things displays a film making maturity for Spaltro, as a good portion of his writing is nicely done, while his direction is subtly handled. He doesn't go for weird camera angles or any visual tricks, settling for simple two shots and closeups to let the actors tell the story. He's quite good directing his performers and a few of them deserve special mention. I like the energy of Dillon, who brings a nice sense of humor to what could have been a stereotypical "loser" role. Also, I admire the performance of Ryman, who also starred in Around; she has a natural quality to her and is believable at every moment. I think Spaltro has discovered someone who could become a star, as audiences identify with her frankness on screen as well as her "girl next door" good looks. My one criticism of her is that she tends to roll her eyes whenever she delivers an ironic line; once is enough, but three or four times is a bit much. Still, she has to carry the film and is up to the task.

My favorite perfomance here is by Folsom, who makes for a nice counterpoint to Ryman. She has an endearing charm about her and it's hard not to root for her character. She delivers her self-effacing lines with great humor and ease and it's in her scenes that we really care about the overall message of this film.

So a mixed review for me for Things I Don't Understand, as this is slightly disappointing film, despite some funny and touching moments. Here's hoping that for his next film, Spaltro will keep combine his ingredients with a bit more simplicity.

The Ins and Outs of "Around"

“The most important part in telling any story is knowing where to start.”


That line, spoken at the beginning of David Spaltro’s new film, Around, could well turn out to be prophetic, especially if he can match the unique qualities of this, his initial professional cinematic venture.

I say professional as Spaltro made films during his time at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. This four years of his life is the basis of Around and it takes us on an unusual journey, as the principal character Doyle Simms (Rob Evans), shares his uncertainties of a Jersey City boy going to the Big Apple to pursue his dream. Simms is of course, Spaltro to a certain degree (it’s essentially autobiographical) and though we follow his experiences at film school, much of the movie deals with his relationships, both with his friends he grew up with as well as the collection of characters he meets in the city.

What I like about the film is the honesty we feel as Simms deals with the trials of his new life. He doesn’t have much money, which results in him sleeping in train stations (mostly Grand Central) and taking some pretty menial jobs to make some basic wages. At a dump of a resturant he works at, he sees a beautiful young woman, Allyson Lodeir (Molly Ryman) whom he had previously seen posing nude at a drawing class at school. Allyson thought Doyle was there for less than honorable reasons, but when she sees that he can draw, she asks for forgiveness. He’s smitten, but she plays hard to get. It’s only when he stands up for her face to face with a tough guy she’s dating that she starts to give him the time of day.

This part of his life starts to go well for Doyle and soon, he’s getting her some photo shoots. But he can’t enjoy any success too much, which is the main angle Spaltro examines in the film. His parents divorced when he was nine and after all these years, he doesn’t exactly have a loving relationship with his mother. When she becomes seriously ill, he starts to question his role in life.

This subplot may sound like a thousand different movies from the past, but in Spaltro’s hands – he wrote and directed the film – it comes off as fresh and a bit quirky. I like the way he writes, as this is the way people really talk. It’s not overstylized for the movie audience, nor is it everyday dull speak. Getting the right mix is not easy and I have to credit Spaltro with keeping things original.

His direction is also quite good, especially for a first-timer. Things are handled pretty straightforwardly, with only a few oblique angles and the pacing, except for a few brief moments, is nicely releaxed. He elicits two very fine performances, from Evans and Ryman, the two main characters. Evans is very convincing, especially in scenes where he’s just not sure what road he’s on; Ryman is also quite good and has an ease and charisma that works well for her character. They’re both totally believable in their parts.

(Photo courtesy of David Spaltro)

The photography is sharp and quite attractive, though at times it seems almost too pretty, considering some of the locales (train stations and city streets) this picture features. Still, Spaltro puts his camera in the right location most of the time and avoids the artsiness too often seen in many first features.

Some viewers might have a problem with Doyle’s self pity during the second half of this film; I have to admit that I didn’t think his life was that bad. But this is Spaltro’s life for better of for worse and as he lived it, we have to believe it. I would have liked to see a few more scenes about his film school life and his attempts at movie making. We get one such short scene and then we see his final effort in school, which will determine if he graduates; this latter scene is very well done. I guess Spaltro decided that his experiences outside of school would be more interesting for the audience to watch than film making sequences and based on the assortment of characters he meets (from a homeless man he befriends at the train station to a sensual young Indian woman he meets one night), he’s probably right.

This slice of life is very entertaining and best of all, unpredictable. You think Doyle will end up one way or the other, but he takes his own path, one that many of us might not. The world Spaltro presents is a pretty nice one; once people get to know you, they put their trust in you, he seems to be saying. Doyle has a hard time realizing this, which is the conflict that makes Around so intriguing.


Note: Around had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in September 2008. It is now available on the “videos on demand” section at amazon.com., which is where I viewed it.