There have been lots of films about writers. We’ve been depicted as boozers, crazies, eccentrics, messiahs, heroes, villains, idiots, saviors, mystics, savants and just about everything else in-between. You name the character trait, and at some point in time we’ve been used to fit the bill.
The reasons for this are many, of course, but when you strip away all the layers and get through all the bull I think the basic truth is that, for better or for worse, those of us who write for a living (or, in most cases – unfortunately including my own – try to write for living) are more than a bit egotistical, maybe even narcissistic. We like to be the stars of our own story, the ones with all the insight and the smarts to overcome disability (many times created by ourselves) in order to achieve something close to magnificent.
The new movie The Bluetooth Virgin has its World Premier next Thursday evening during the closing days of this year’s Seattle International Film Festival and it, like so many other pictures during this last century of film, is about writers. Specifically, it is about a screenwriter, David (Bryce Johnson), and his magazine editor best friend, Sam (Austin Peck), and what happens when the former asks the latter to look at his latest piece of work.What happens is that Sam doesn’t like it, but he doesn’t want to hurt his friend’s feelings by telling him so. But David, eager for affection and affirmation, isn’t a complete idiot, and after a few forced pleasantries on the golf course he soon realizes all of his friend’s fawning praise is being played far too close to the vest, the truth finally coming out in waves of bitter confusion with the potential to leave both men hurt.
There’s more, and to go into it all would really end up spoiling some of the fun, so in fairness to writer/director Russell Brown I think I’m just going to end the description there. What I will say is that the 80-minute feature is structured like a series of one act plays, each one taking ideas and concepts spoken about in the sequence prior and then twists and turns them in a way which will leave viewers curious to see what happens next.
But it isn’t this somewhat stage-bound structure that I want to talk about. After the first scene between David and Sam it is more than readily apparent the filmmaker has no intention of escaping the theatrical artifice he’s assembled for himself, and one I got used to the pit-pit-patter of everyone’s constant dialogue I was more than willing to forgive the somewhat tired My Dinner with Andre vibe the whole thing couldn’t help but keep giving off.
What did interest me is just how eagerly Russell attacked the notion of writer as narcissist. Rarely has a fellow artist of the pen and paper (okay, keyboard and mouse, but I’m sure you get my point) spoken with such naked honesty about his own profession. We change our personalities on a dime in order to deflect criticism, morphing over and over to suit the meanings and definitions others attach to our work.
And when the criticism becomes too much to bear? We deflect, push it aside and then try to find away to attack the very person we asked to give their opinion in the first place. If they’re going to kill our baby then we are sure as heck are going to do are damndest to at least try and wound theirs, and even with longstanding friendships in play all bets are off when a work near and dear to our hearts is given the evisceration by someone we profess to trust.
All of which probably sounds odd coming from the pen from a professional critic. My job is to do exactly what it is I hate to receive myself, my personal pen as pointed and as eviscerating as any I’m sure (just look what I did to poor Adam Sandler and his latest misfire You Don’t Mess with the Zohan for proof). Yet, we all exist on the same wavelength, the same vibe, and while the majority of us go out of our way to hide it criticism, even the constructive kind, can hurt and even if we put up a magnificent façade trying to signal otherwise the truth is still buried for all to see right there in the very center of our hearts.
The Bluetooth Virgin nails this mentality and hammers it right to the wall. The pain, the self-doubt, the insecurity, the anger, all of it resides deep within these two characters and watching them evolve as they deal with it was far more fascinating and enthralling than I had originally thought it would be. There were times here I was Sam, others where I knew I was David, and by the time it was over I couldn’t help but nod my head satisfaction over what it was I’d just witnessed.
Not that it would have probably worked out that way had Russell omitted the glorious final few minutes of his motion picture. Not to reveal too much, let’s just say that for all this angst and ego talked about above there is nothing like having someone have a deep, multifaceted and profound connection to your work. All the pain, all the heartache, all that and more becomes worth it with the glint of a heartfelt smile from a fan moved to admit how much what you’ve created has meant to them.
All artists feel this on some level, and no matter our medium there is a truth here that is absolutely inescapable. The fear of failure and revulsion can keep many of us from doing the work we could probably be capable of accomplishing otherwise. In all honesty, that very same dreadful uncertainty and lack of confidence is why I’m still slaving away for almost no money for an internet website and not trying to find other, better paying freelance gigs. Embarrassing, yes, but true, and watching the movie I almost couldn’t help but sadly realize it.
The flipside, though, is that I’ve also felt the euphoria. I’ve been to that place both Sam and David reach at varying points in the film and it is the one thing that keeps me going even when I get down that I’m not making more money or being read as widely as I would like. Like I said, The Bluetooth Virgin knows these thoughts, embraces these emotions and is unafraid to pull any of its punches while looking straight-on at them. In the end, while the film might be about writers, anyone who’s ever dared to do a single thing creative is going to find much grab on to here and I for one hope they’ll see this very fine movie and get the chance to do so.
1 comment:
Sara - You need an editor. This review is loaded with filler. (Life follows art with this movie.)
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