| THE KING |
 2005 – USADirector: James Marsh
- Reviewed by Vickie
That’s pretty much what I thought from moment to moment while watching this quasi art-house drama about…damned if I know. It’s a film that practically demands its writer-director, James Marsh, attend each and every screening, so that he can sit at the front of the theater and thoughtfully pause the action every few minutes to explain what the hell’s going on in the minds of his unhinged characters. From what I can tell, the movie might be about revenge. Or redemption. Or revenge and redemption. Or psychosis. Or the lengths folks will go to in order to build themselves what they perceive to be a picture-perfect, All-American family. At the same time, it might be about none of those things. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Elvis, a recently discharged Naval officer who decides, for reasons that are never clear, to look up his long-lost father – an evangelical preacher named David Sandow (William Hurt, sporting a trashy moustache that would make a Hell’s Angels biker proud), who impregnated Elvis’ mother when she was working as a prostitute and before he was “saved” and changed his life. Now, David has a pretty sweet set-up: he’s head of his local church, happily married to his wife (Laura Harring) and raising two upstanding teenagers – Bible-thumping, crossbow-hunting Paul (Paul Dano), and innocent, virginal Mallerie (Pell James). Needless to say, David isn’t exactly thrilled when Elvis shows up on his doorstep as a physical reminder of his unsavory past. So, he tells Elvis, in no uncertain terms and with a decidedly creepy amount of hostility, to take a hike and never come back. But this is a feature film, so we know Elvis isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Instead, and once again with motives that are perpetually and infuriatingly murky, Elvis rents a scummy motel room, gets a job at a nearby pizza joint and sets about seducing his teenage half-sister. Wait. WHAT? Yes, seems Elvis has more than just brotherly affection for the wholly unaware Mallerie, who doesn’t know Elvis’ real identity, and soon they’re bumpin’ uglies on a regular basis. Given David’s feelings towards his illegitimate offspring and his previous instructions to leave town, this is a perilous undertaking and one that, not surprisingly, goes off the rails fairly quickly. Without revealing too much, let’s just say that Elvis is determined to be with Mallerie and anyone who stands in his way had best be prepared to die. And therein lies the confusion. What does Elvis really want? Does he want Mallerie? If so, why, when he knows full well they’re half-siblings? Does he just want to hurt David? If so, why the elaborate means? What’s his real reason for tracking David down in the first place? Is he a sociopath? A lonely guy? A malleable personality prone to wild swings in logic as a result of some kind of post-traumatic stress? WHAT is it?! Initially, Elvis’ journey and subsequent actions seem like they stem from a genuine attempt to reconnect with the father he never knew, but gradually his behavior morphs into the pursuit of a much darker purpose. But, again, WHY? What’s the deal with David, and why the quick turnaround from “I hate you, get out!” to “Hey, let’s go shooting together, buddy!”??? Nevermind the random inserts of, oh, a white horse in a swamp (?) and what appears to be a drunken clown walking along the road at night. The HELL? And what about poor Laura Harring, stuck in the thankless and painfully disjointed role of David’s wife? She looked as utterly lost as I felt, and I wanted to take her by the hand to lead her gently out of this mess of a movie. The action progresses in a completely confusing way, with characters changing tone and motivation entirely without reason, so it’s impossible to grasp what’s happening on the surface or any other level. Love switches to hate and back in a heartbeat. There’s a weird underlying foreboding that never goes away but is also never really paid off. I kept waiting and waiting and WAITING for some hint as to why things were unfolding the way they were, but nothing. The movie just ends, after what can only be described as a preposterous series of events that left some audience members laughing out loud at their sheer audacity. If you feel you absolutely MUST see this movie, trust me and wait for the DVD. Then watch it with the commentary on. Then email me and tell me what this movie is all about, ‘cause I have no idea. |
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“What the frick?”
