The
sun sinks past the horizon and the moon rises.
After
a long night, a posh restaurant in New York City closes
it's bar and shuts it's doors. The only people who remain
are three of its bartenders who've decided to get sloshed
after work, two porters who have to clean the bars and scrub
the dishes, and the owner of the restaurant who's sharing
a drink with an old friend and fellow restaurateur in the
VIP lounge above it. (Even the setup sounds like the beginning
of a play, doesn't it? Well, the theatrical comparison is
only beginning!)
Thus
opens Jacob Waxler's new feature length film, Purple
Pastures. The name is a play on the old saying about
the grass always being greener on the other side. An old
proverb from America's dairy days that described the desire
of cows to feed on the grass on the other side of the fence
they happen to be on, as though that grass is somehow greener
and more delicious. The proverb reminds us that all grass
is more or less the same...the only thing that changes is
our perception of it.
Content
The storyline of the film is that of following a half dozen
characters as they explore their lives in various spheres
of reality. (Actually
there are eight characters, but only six of them are the
main characters of the film.)
The
two porters, Peter and Clayton, represent the most basic
level of existence in a place like New York City. They are
both immigrants from Jamaica--Peter speaks English but not
French and Clayton speaks French but not English. We get
into Peter's head because he keeps babbling about his thoughts
to his uncomprehending companion. He is one of the people
who is least confused about the truth of the greener grass.
(Proving that you can be a loudmouth and still be paying
attention to the world around you!)
Next
we have three bartenders, who represent the middle sphere
of existence--not wealthy, but bartending in a wealthy restaurant
assures that they're not going broke, either. Everrett's
a contemplative actor that quietly observes people and the
world around him. Whereas, the other two, Kyle and Cody,
are your pessimistic 'realists'--who blandly wish they had
more money, but sheepishly admit that they have nothing
more to do with such money than simply stare at walls. They
would rather not hope for anything and never get hurt by
reality than to hope and have their hopes dashed. Everrett
thinks this is a depressing way to live life and one that
is rooted in fear.
Finally
we have the two restaurateurs, Catherine--who owns this
restaurant--and Jackson--her colleague who owns three other
restaurants in the city--who represent the highest sphere
of existence in the New York City society of the film..
They're successful and wealthy and have everything society
says they should want, yet there success is at the cost
of their health and their beliefs. They wish they could
get away from it all, but they are addicted to the challenge
too much to ever walk away. Both have given up on their
greatest dreams and, somehow, fallen into a rut of living
in which they aren't any happier than anyone else.
