Jailbait (2004)
At first this digital indie film
seems to be like a stage play brought to the screen
cheaply thanks to DV technology. Hottie Michael Pitt
plays a timid, little teenager who is sent to prison
under the "three strikes" rule for a ridiculously
lame offense. We see him at home with his mother on
the morning of his incarceration before the film kicks
into gear and Pitt enters the prison and meets his
cellmate, an older, chubby Hispanic guy who seems
quite nice to the newbie. He tries to engage the sullen
Pitt in conversation and attempts to acclimate the
young man to the slow passage of time while inside
by trying to get him interested in books and reading.
At first Pitt's apparent mentor,
Jake, as played Stephen Adly Guirgis, seems to be
a rather bland and tepid guy. Guirgis plays him so
ordinary that it almost seems like a bad performance.
Pitt is sexy, sallow and wan, quiet yet obviously
hurt and frightened, the proverbial deer caught in
the headlight. His character is subtly intense and
quite interesting and it's disappointing to see the
phenomenally talented Pitt stuck in an interesting
two-man play with such a lackluster performer.
But as the story progresses, Jake
becomes more and more intricate and Guirgis' performance
becomes more and more intense and troubling. By the
end of the first act, he has equaled Pitt in complexity
and our fascination with the story and the characters
begins to spark on all four cylinders. There are layers
going on here and the film begins to evolve a "more
than meets the eye" complexity.
As the film reaches its mid-section
and the dialogue and plot become more and more dark
and psychologically charged with power plays and sexual
politics, the film becomes nothing short of engrossing
as we are immersed in a relationship so disturbing
and so elaborately convoluted that we simply cannot
avoid becoming consumed by the emotions and torturous
machinations of it. This is dark, thought-provoking,
intense material and Pitt and Guirgis evolve an on
screen chemistry that has the screen crackling with
electricity. Like a horrible car accident or a disturbing
image from the war in Iraq, one is perplexed and devastated
but simply cannot turn away from viewing it.
Writer/director Brett C. Leonard
has utilized his low budget and inexpensive DV technology
to give us a modern, realistic, voyeuristic look inside
a prison cell in a way that makes us feel as if we
are seeing something that usually remains hidden.
This is a marvelous debut and one can only hope that
this remarkably brutal and frank film can find an
audience. It is certainly worthy of every accolade
that can be placed upon it.
Without a doubt, Pitt has become
one of the most daring and important young actors
of his generation. In film after film he has proven
himself to not only be a accomplish thespian but also
one who is adventurous and seemingly unafraid. His
willingness to take on a demanding role such as this
in a DV film with what must have surely been made
on a minuscule budget, in a year where he has appeared
in films by Bernardo Bertolucci and M. Night Shyamalan,
shows just how noteworthy he is and how attention-deserving
his career has become. My prediction is this: Pitt
is an actor who will continue to astound and amaze
us for years to come. "Jailbait" is a film that showcases
his talent while also introducing us to the remarkably
surprising talent of Guirgis and the subtle intricacies
of the pen of Leonard.
Note:
I don't believe there is any music
in the piece except during the credits.
Viewed in October 2004 as a part
of the Austin Film Festival at the Hideout Theater.
