Review of Tape (2001) by Roan F — 11 Dec 2013

Tape is an impressive indie film. Shot digitally and then edited on Final Cut Pro before being blown up into 35mm, it incorporates many creative touches in the limited space of where it's set. It can inspire other film-making wannabe's to gather up their limited resources and then make their own film for nothing. What we have here with this movie is one setting, three characters and a story about the fragmented truth's and lies of a specific situation that took place in HS.

Vince, John and Amy are old high school buddies. They shared a close bond. Particularly toward certain aspects of each others relationships toward one another. Vince use to date Amy until they broke up and one night at a party Amy decided to have sex with John. This particular event would give way to each others future. As they are now, over ten years later, they haven't seemed to have grown apart from the mistakes they've made. They've gone to do better things, well, except for Vince of course.

Now within a little motel room, a small HS reunion is concocted by Vince himself to purposely open old wounds for his own satisfaction. He hasn't changed. Still drug addled and booze hounded. He quells his sorrows with macho absurdities to pass the time. That is until John arrives bringing along with him the same persona he must've always had: Control Freak.

John is the type of guy who always wants to get the last word in and is easily manipulated into thinking he's done something wrong. How Vince and John get along is rather tragic.Their friendship is one of those going nowhere types where both seem to pretend to care for one another, but it's all disguised as a way of getting what they need from each other. Like for example, John needs someone like Vince because John is inferior (even despite the fact he's doing so much better than Vince) to the point where he must have a loser friend by his side to make himself feel better and lecture to.

Vince needs someone like John because deep down Vince knows how easily manipulated John can be and there's nothing more fun than to bend someone to YOUR will. Case in point, the tape.

Vince secretly records a conversation with John in trying to get John to admit to something about the night John slept with Amy. The interaction between them is one of the most depressing ever. Because at this point in their friendship they've resorted to petty acts of One-upmanship. Vince's resentment about that night still harbors within and John loves it, knowing that John got a piece of ass from Amy. Something Vince never got, but wanted to.

All of this comes to a head when Amy enters this "Happy" reunion to set the record straight about that night and to reveal a secret that literally puts these two boys in their place.

Based on a play by Stephen Belber, this dialogue heavy indie is dark in tone about the insidious nature of old friendships and the effect one has on another person's persona through manipulation. I enjoyed the acting from all three of the actors. They did a great job and kudos to Richard Linklater for indulging (in a creative way) almost every little angle and shot inside that small motel room.