Afraid
of Everything (1999)
"Afraid
of Everything" is Bergman meets Jarmusch's "Stranger
than Paradise." Imagine if you took the clinched,
claustrophobic, stylized, squeaky clean slate of Bergman's
most celluloid of films and threw a 90's wild child
into the mix. That's basically what this film seems
to be to me. It's a great idea and one that is expanded
upon perfectly here.
The acting by the triumvirate of thespians here is nothing
short of masterful. The perfect, synchronized, anal-retentive
world of a young urban couple is brought to us in rich,
vivid detail. There are moments on the screen where
nary a word is spoken, and yet everything we need to
know to understand these two are brought forth in precise,
intricate, minute actions. The way the husband serves
dinner, the way the wife pours the wine, these visual
clues inform us of the intense, tightened world these
two inhabit. Nathalie Richard and David Aukin are wonderful
in these moments.
But their true life comes from how they react with the
wife's younger, free-spirited sister when she comes
into their sphere. The wife, still recovering from a
traumatic accident, welcomes the diversion. But her
reasons for this take a while to become clear to us.
The husband, meanwhile, finds his long repressed feelings
coming to the surface of his psyche. Sarah Adler, as
the sister, is a beautiful, vibrant, breath of fresh
air in the film, and in our film vocabulary. This is
a character whose subtle motivations weave like silken
threads into the plot. Her most reserved of moments
only allow her carefree attitudes to seem all the more
pleasing. The chemistry this trio shares is something
quite special. And they quiet, unusual, yet perfect
moments between Adler and Aukin are quite interesting.
Writer/director David Barker has crafted an excellent
script. In the film's Q&A session, he told us he
had spent several days working with the cast in rehearsal
and that is quite evident. While it truly must be his
work with his actors that have shaped the film, his
work behind the camera has moments of unique pleasures
as well. The opening shot, of a blurry Statue of Liberty,
gives us an indication of what is to come. Yet Barker,
wisely, never resorts to cinematic gimmickry or artistic
posturing to pepper the film. He focuses on character
and let's the visual speak for themselves in most cases.
Cinematographer Deborah Lewis, an Austinite, films the
proceedings in rich, textured black and white. Stunning,
sterile and yet beautiful, the film is never boring
to look at. It's visual sense is much of it's charm,
walking that precarious line between art and pretense
and rarely falling by the wayside.
Unfortunately, the film has a minor problem at it's
end. A truly dramatic moment is not milked for all it
is worth and, truth be told, it is unclear exactly what
happens, or at least it was to me. Baker has a moment
in the film, a small rash act, that even had audience
members gasping with surprise and he seems to let this
idea simply disintegrate at the film's ending. Perhaps
he meant it to be slightly ambiguous. Perhaps I was
too thick to glean it. Or maybe I am correct in saying
that something small is missing here, a brief moment,
a tiny verbalization. A clarification of sorts.
Still, "Afraid of Everything" is a great film
and one that will surely deliver the actors and those
behind the camera the kudos they richly deserve.
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