11th
and Congress (2001)
Austinite Robert Christopher Ohlson's
"11th and Congress" is too weird. For the life of
me, I cannot tell you exactly what the filmmaker is
trying to get at here. There are themes of urban isolation,
modern dysfunctional family units and, most evident,
overpopulation. Perhaps, even, abortion and creationism
are themes. But Ohlson's film is so artfully pretentious
and so convoluted that it is nearly impossible to
understand what is going on here.
The problem is not that Ohlson is technically
inept. Ohlson certainly knows how to establish scenes,
motivate forward momentum and make interesting visuals.
But the film is almost sterile and clinical in it's
approach. And craftsmanship does not a movie make
(unless your George Lucas, I guess). Ohlson certainly
uses DV effectively and knows how to frame pictures.
His pacing, which is paramount to the film, is also
perfect. He utilizes his actors well and creates a
vision with the piece. But his script is so odd and
his themes are presented so poetically that much gets
lost in the translation. Like many films, "11th and
Congress" is perhaps too smart and too icy for it's
own good.
The film concerns a maturing and solemn
man named Gabriel (Steve Shearer) who appears at the
new Austin airport and makes his way into the capitol
city. He has interludes with a seeming travelling
salesman, a limo driver and a hotel clerk before renting
a room and calling a woman. When Gabriel finally does
speak, he talks in enigmatic riddles and Webster's
definitions that sometimes appear to have little or
no reason. There's quite a bit of mumbo jumbo about
overpopulation before Gabriel tells a young mother,
via the phone, things that make them appear to have
a personal history. But, alas, explaining the plot
really doesn't help matters here.
What is important is that the film,
other than the last "special effects" shot, is technically
adept. But in the end "11th and Congress" is far too
puzzling and opaque to make much of an impact. Performance
Artist Laurie Anderson once said that if she had a
message, she would simply write it down on a piece
of paper and hand it out. If Ohlson has a message
here, he needs to at least give us some crib notes.
Guessing what this film is trying to say, in the end,
makes it more akin to a mystery more than any other
genre.
