Review of Gerry (2002) by Rod S — 12 Nov 2010

There are a number of cool things about this movie, but man, Gus Van Sant can be so freaking obnoxious sometimes. Coupling his endless long takes (which would be gorgeous if they didn't cross the line between meditative and ridiculously indulgent) with Arvo Part's music just highlights how powerful minimalism can be when it's done right--and how bungled it looks when it's not.

There are beautiful shots and some pretty great scenes--the scene with Casey Affleck stuck on top of a rock was surprisingly engaging and suspenseful (though cutting from the very long take to a brief medium shot did ruin a lot of the dramatic tension there)--but you could cut this thing in half and it would be a lot better off.

I'm all for meditative and minimalistic--Part is my favorite contemporary classical composer, and Andrei Tarkovsky is one of my favorite filmmakers--but this feels less profound than it does show-offy.

There's a bit of emotional, thematic, existential, allegorical heft to it (in a way this is the anti-buddy-system movie), but it's hard to find when Van Sant seems to be jumping up and down the whole time trying to get your attention and remind you what an Important Artist he is.

And, quite honestly, it's hardly worth it. What could have been a very, very good film becomes, when stretched out twice as long as it should be, something that's only marginally recommendable if you're into this sort of thing.