They discuss all manner of production, from self-imposed aesthetic rules and influences during pre-production — Kerrigan was watching a lot of Polanski and documentaries about mental illness at the time — to location hunting and working with the cinematographer and editor. Jay Rabinowitz was the latter and has gone on to work with directors Jim Jaramusch and Darren Aronofsky.
The film does have some problems, though. The film isn’t as captivating when Winter isn’t in the scene. There isn’t much to the other characters for the actors to work with. Stylistically, that could work when Winter is an observer in the scene, but it happens throughout the film. The plotline with the police detective is heavy-handed. He inserts himself into the story awkwardly, looking almost as if there were some scenes that would transition him into the story easier were cut.
One great feature that more DVDs will hopefully offer is the film’s soundtrack and selections from the film’s final audio mix, downloadable as MP3 files.
Though it offers more style than substance, Clean, Shaven presents a harrowing character study through a great acting performance by Peter Greene and wise choices by Kerrigan. While its depiction may not be 100% accurate, it is much more believable than something hokey like A Beautiful Mind. It is also a great DVD to learn about filmmaking as the process and results are presented to the viewer.
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