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Review
"Everything is Everything" is Something Else
Ephram Watley, Film Critic,
The Watley Review
October 24, 2003
Studio 8's first full-length film begins with a frustrated filmmaker.
The initially enigmatic scene shows a cameraman with a strong Southern
twang, Russell Cagle, attempting to direct a silently noncompliant actor
wearing a tuxedo. It's not clear at first whether Russell is
aiming for a serious documentary, comedic effect, or surreal performance
art. As it turns
out, he's achieving all three, though none intentionally.
"Everything is Everything" is billed as a "mockumentary" tracking the
lives of three disaffected young men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Russell, the filmmaker, is a largely homeless drifter obsessed with
creating a film about Abraham Lincoln, for reasons never made entirely
clear, starring his mute Latino companion Rodriguo. Dale, the
songmaker, is a gentle soul who has composed a new national anthem.
Justin Justice, the superhero wannabe, skulks about keeping Baton Rouge
safe until he can complete his "equipment" and take his struggle for
justice to the nation's capital.
The three are billed as "idiots of a kind," but they share more than a
lack of aptitude; they are each reaching out to grasp a different facet
of the American promise which has so far eluded them. All feel
constrained by their opportunities in Baton Rouge; all make their way
eventually to Washington D.C. to realize their dreams, where they find
the connections they are seeking, though not their dreams.
The three leads throw themselves into the characters with abandon. Chris
Trew successfully conveys the sweet cluelessness of songwriter Dale,
completely unaware of his lack of talent and desperately optimistic in
his goal to bring Americans together through his songs. Truston Aillet
lends a remarkably convincing turn as Justin Justice, whose dream of
becoming a superhero is on the surface the least sane of the three.
His plans for
a "JJ" spotlight which the Mayor can use to summon him might be lunatic,
but his practical goals are modest; he assesses the safety of playground
equipment as well as tracks criminals with his unique mapping system.
Brock LaBorde as filmmaker Russell has the most complex character of the
three, and the most significant challenge. In part this is because
Russell is the only one of the three to successfully, if disfunctionally,
connect with others; in addition to Rodrigo, he relies on a succession
of suspiciously attractive "sugar mamas" to support him as he pursues
his
dream (with, in one of the movie's more inspired touches, security
cameras salvaged from the wreckage of a women's prison), and we briefly
meet his father as well. But we are not sure why Lincoln holds
such fascination for Russell, nor what he hopes to accomplish with the
completion of his film. He spends less time explaining his madness than
he does the practical concerns of his life mooching off girlfriends,
dumpster-diving, and bullying Rodrigo. In addition, he alone of
the three seems to get nowhere in pursuit of his dream: it would have
been nice to see snippets of his films, or some sense of progress.
As it is, he is often just a crazy man with a broken, filmless camera on
his shoulder.
The weakest part of "Everything is Everything" is the framework.
There is no timeframe for the film, no explanation is given as to why
these three have been chosen for a documentary; and the intermittent
jumps in time (listed as anywhere from five minutes to a month) are
enigmatically arranged. The three narrative arcs do progress and
ultimately weave together, but the juxtaposition seems almost
accidental. When the three leads meet at the end, the presence of three
camera crews doesn't strike any of them as odd. Some of the
editing could be a little tighter as well; though comedic gems abound
throughout the film, many scenes are a tad longer than necessary.
There is at times a hint of menace in the filmmakers' exploitation of
the three as well. At one point when Russell, his camera broken, begs to
borrow the filmmakerıs equipment, he is met with stony silence: the
scene takes on an ominous undertone, as Russellıs despair is recorded in
merciless close-up.
But Dale, Russell, and Justin do find what they need, if not what they
are looking for. The most satisfying and illustrative of their
successes comes courtesy of Justin. Early in the film, we see him
sorting through piles of photographs of President Bush, each with a more
serious expression than the last. The only picture in which
Bush is smiling is taped to the wall; "That's what I want to see," says
the superhero. It cannot be coincidence that Justin himself never
smiles until the end of the film, sitting on a couch with his newfound
companions and friends. They haven't given up on their dreams, but
theyıve made a connection that gives each of them strength to continue.
"Everything is everything" is a promising debut from a talented group;
Studio 8 might well be going places. Stay tuned.
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