After
the Flood (2001)
Gritty, poetic, erotic and deeply troubling, "After
the Flood" paints a picture of urban and spiritual decay
in modern American society. Its unflinching eye and
harsh depiction of a man in the depths of spiritual
confusion and depravity may be hard for some viewers
to swallow. But for the adventurous, thoughtful and
cinematically inclined, "After the Flood" is a gripping
and rewarding film.
The protag is Simon, a street hustler who makes a
living at shady business deals. Simon's mother died
giving birth to him and this sparks a deep need within
him that seemingly can never be filled. Throughout the
film, he entangles himself with prostitutes, drug addicts,
male johns, and criminals who continually seem to force
him deeper down the spiral of loneliness and despair.
Simon waits for the release of death or a savior but
neither will be coming.
Simon's initial scenes are dark, repulsive and gritty
yet charged with an anti-sexuality that fascinates us.
Early in the film he practically mouth rapes another
man with a loaded pistol. Soon after, he is in a dirty
hotel room with a young immigrant woman who has been
given to him as payment on an outstanding debt. Here,
with the woman, Gabriela (Ola Metwally), Simon finally
begins to show some of what is beneath his tough, filthy
veneer. These scenes are erotic in a very dark way.
It's interesting to note that Simon's sexual moments
with Gabriela are done in a neo-realism that is somehow
also surreal, chilling and atypical. This is not some
sort of soft core erotic film, but rather a character
study of an deeply troubled young man. It's no surprise
that his approach to seduction would be highly unique
and poetic.
But sex is not the issue here. Sex represents an inability
to relate to any other human being for Simon. Continually,
throughout the film, his mannerisms and actions are
erotic and sexual in nature, but they never once embody
even the most remote humanity. A scene in the film where
Simon takes a hooker to church is important not only
because of what the character says in his monologue
but also in the way that the action takes place between
he and the hooker. The sexual, if one can call it that,
coupling in this scene is symbolic as well, pointing
out the utter hopelessness of Simon's plight as a human.
Even tethered to another by a sexual connection, he
is utterly, aimlessly adrift. There is no hope of rescue.
Later in the film, Simon comes in contact with a rather
unsavory man who offers help but obviously has other
things on his mind. This segment of the film would totally
turn me off if it were not handled correctly. But the
script here, including some comments Simon makes later
about the event, somehow redeem this scene. In any other
movie, I would be totally angry about what could be
perceived as deplorable homophobia. But here, the moment
becomes stark and claustrophobic. This isn't about homosexuality
as much as it is about the complete absence of anything
human to grasp upon. Simon's reasoning for his actions
in the scene, "So that I could breathe," express his
complete oppression by this cold, inhumane, motherless,
Godless world he inhabits.
As Simon, Shawn Andrews ("Dazed and Confused") is
the perfect mixture of lost dreamer, street gangster,
pretty boy innocent and wild manchild. He swoons and
flies through the film like a man ever more increasingly
possessed by his dark side, constantly flailing, hopelessly,
against the dying of the light. Andrews looks perfect
for this role with his wide eyes and shaggy dark hair.
He is grimy yet soft, harsh yet wounded. He speaks with
the charmed lumbering cadence of a poet, often reminding
one of a more sober Jim Carroll. It is perfection in
casting.
With "After the Flood," Writer/Director Robert Saitzyk
creates a haggard, greasy netherworld of nightmare and
dream. His film is poetic beauty with each element perfectly
in place. The score by Eric McFadden and Scott Hirsch
is a perfect, mesmerizing, ambient match for the images
that cascades in blackness throughout the film. And
what images! The cinematography by Matt Siegel is extraordinary.
The use of light and shadow here, revolutionary.
"After the Flood" may sound like the title of a massive
70's disaster film, but the only real adversities here
are the tremors of being alive on the planet Earth.
When all is finally laid to rest in Saitzyk bleak world,
we find nothing left but man, alone, friendless, lifeless,
and without a God.
This Film Reviewed
from the 2001 Austin Film festival!
|
Report
Card
Script:
A
Acting: A+
Cinematography\Lighting: A+
Special Effects\Make Up: A+
Music: A+
Final
Grade: A+
|
Get
Your "After the Flood" Stuff...
And
Help Support Filethirteen!
|
More
of Lodger's reviews indexed alphabetically! Just click
your favorite letter to go there.
a
b c
d e
f g
h i
j k
l m
n o
p q
r s
t u
v w
x y
z
HOME
|
