Even
though I quite enjoyed the film, this film is not for everyone,
as it is cross between an "en trenche de vie"
(a slice of life) film and voyeuristic theater. What do
I mean by that? Well, much of the film is about eavesdropping
on seemingly real people having seemingly real conversations.
This means that many of the conventions of scripting, pacing,
and action go out the window. Much of the physical movement
is nothing more than people drinking martinis and bourbons
while they talk about their lives and their feeling of isolation.
Some would say that makes the pace too slow, whereas I would
say that it allows the story to unfold in a more natural
way.
The
chemistry that is shown between the bartenders is especially
nice, showcasing some of the best acting in the film and
some of the best quotes. (Such as one philosophical comment
from Everret, "Sure, there's nothing wrong with wanting
something better.... But the real question is when does
it stop? When do you become comfortable just being yourself?"
) The interchange between the idealistic young actor and
his two pessimistic (they call themselves "realists,"
as all pessimists do.) coworkers is intrinsically interesting
and believable. All of us have had conversations about life
and our place in the world late at night with friends and
I feel that Waxler does a nice job of getting us into these
young men's headspace.
While
the concept of the film is very intriguing and has some
great points, the implementation is not without its faults.
There
are a few sequences that simply play too long, like an opening
sequence in the kitchen in which the Peter and Clayton are
simply washing dishes for a few minutes before actually
ever saying anything or, later in the film, a partially-subtitled
French conversation between Clayton and an old coworker
that becomes long and extremely redundant. (In real life,
many conversations are extremely redundant, but simplifying
them on film is needed to keep the storyline from stalling.)
Additionally,
the acting from Catherine and Jackson starts out very stiff
and takes nearly half the film to loosen up. While this
may have been done to simulate the effects of alcohol and
inebriation on honesty and chattiness, this never becomes
clear due to the fact that neither character ever appears
to be getting sloshed...even though they will sometimes
use pauses in vocal cadence to mimic the sound of a drunk
person talking. Plus, some of the questions that Catherine
asks feel forced, like they've been specifically scripted
to elicit a response to drive the film--rather than something
that might actually come up in a normal conversation, especially
a normal conversation involving excess alcohol consumption.
Despite
these drawbacks, Purple Pastures is a film that is
well worth watching and enjoying--so long as you realize
that it flows at the same speed as a leisurely conversation.
Visual
Look
Purple Pastures features a very professional,
with amazing color representation, detail, and light. This
beautiful look was accomplished with a Panasonic HD Varicam,
while the film-like shallow depth of field was accomplished
with a P+S Technik Pro35 35mm lens adapter. Jacob Waxler
had to have his ducks lined up well to pull off this film
with that kind of set up and still make it for $25 K, as
the camera and lens adapter setup usually rents for $1550
a day. (That probably explains why there are a couple of
scenes that don't flow quite as smoothly...they had to get
shots done very quickly and probably didn't have the time/money
to get quite enough takes of scenes that didn't flow as
well.)
One
thing that has to be brought up before going on is the technical
excellence of a few special shots in the film. While all
were at least serviceable, and many were quite nice, there
were a couple that took my breath away. These were subtle
shots that you only notice when you're looking for them.
The sequence that sticks outmost in my mind that that continues
to amaze me the most each time I see it is a dialogue sequence
that occurs between Jackson and Peter in front of the bar
in the upstairs lounge. The reason this scene stands out
is because it is a virtually straight on shot in front of
a mirror backed bar with mirror-finished appliances and
you never ONCE catch a glimpse of the bulky Varicam or the
cameraman in all of those reflective surfaces! From a technical
perspective, that's pretty amazing.
Whether
due to budgetary limitations or specific design, Waxler
uses lots of stationary camera placements that specifically
show off the depth of a specific scene. His actors then
act within this space for extended takes, bringing a great
feeling of the stage to the film. In fact, throughout the
film, visual and editing choices seem to blend the line
between stage and cinema.
These
choices range from a single overarching set (the restaurant),
to long conversations that are unbroken by editing, to unmoving
panorama shots that showcase separate vistas of the set,
to edited splash-screens of color that work like dropping
the curtain or extinguishing the lights in a stage production
to signal the change of a scene. (As well as tying in with
the color "name" theme of the film.)
[I've
talked with the director about the film's stage-like feel
and, apparently, it was entirely unintentional. Go figure.]
