|
| |
|
waydowntown 2000 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Gary Burns
R, 83 min. (language, drug use, sexuality) |
 |
Starring: Fabrizio Filippo, Don McKellar, Marya Delver, Gordon Currie, Tobias Godson
Producers: Gary Burns, Shirley Vercruysse
Screenplay: Gary Burns, James Martin
Distributor: Lot 47 Films
Released: 1/25/02 (Limited) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
waydowntown is a corporate work study on claustrophobia, the monotomous grind, and psychological havoc that's wreaked
on four fellow workers who test the limits of their own sanity. Set in Calgary, director Gary Burns effectively uses the grainy,
shaky, and unsettling feel of digital video to its unique limits. Characters are gloomy, desperate, and most of all in need
of a good reality check. What makes the film somewhat compelling is a dark, satirical commentary on corporate life set
against a surreal atmosphere that questions reality itself. Although the story itself is pedestrian, the characters are likable
and relatable to the viewer, who is invariably drawn into the film by some excellent performances by its cast.
We see the story through the eyes of Tom Bennett (Fabrizio Filippo), a young newly hired corporate worker who has, after
only five months on the job, begun to question the sanity of the world around him. He smokes pot before and during the
workday in order to "take the edge off." His fellow employees are quirky and disturbed in their own right, especially his
cubicle mate Brad (Don McKellar), who is contemplating suicide to break free of boredom. Tom has made a bet with
his fellow workers, a full month's salary, on who can go the longest without stepping outside the office buildings. You see,
their workplace downtown, apartments, and eating establishments are all interconnected, so there is never a need to breath
fresh air. We follow the lives of Tom, Brad, Sandra (Marya Delver), who is afraid of the recycled air they breath, and
Curt (Gordon Currie), who is engaged to be married but ignominiously called the "office slut." As they near their breaking
points, the film explores the sanity of a world cut off from everyone else downtown.
Tom's own sanity level is already questionable when we meet him - he sees visions of a caped superhero that will save their
isolated world, he floats through the air in his mind, and chases after a strange girl he sees at a food court. Most of the
film takes place during the characters' lunch hour, an hour that involves Sandra following the company's boss (who at 85
years old finds it fun to shoplift various items) to supervise his actions, Curt's infidelity with another engaged co-worker
in a restroom stall, and Tom's assignment to pick up a valuable present for the boss. Their individual claustrophobic
irritability becomes evident as the hour continues.
waydowntown was released in 2000 at the Toronto International Film Festival where it won best Canadian feature.
It's slow distribution to U.S. theaters is not surprising given its bizarre nature of storytelling. But the film does represent
yet another effective commentary on the politics of corporate life, albeit in a sadistic manner. It's nothing we haven't seen
before, but its continual use of closeups and damp feel with the help of digital video gives it a more pronounced identity.
And the believable, fully realized performances of its cast effectively portray the lives of people who could possibly be
spotted in real world corporate America as well. Ambivalent yet intriguing, waydowntown is a clever effort from Burns,
who proves he has some quality films on the horizon.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
|
|
 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
© 2000 - present ReelCriticReviews
All movie pictures are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective holders
Their use on this site is for informational purposes only and does not imply ownership
|
