Two new releases from the Heretic DVD label showed up in my mail to be reviewed today. Not having anything else happening I decided to treat myself to a double feature and watch them one after the other. That may not have been one of my wiser decisions.
Heretic films specializes in independent films that are "Inventive and cutting edge: scary, violent, gory, and sexy…" Probably not an ideal combination for a calming afternoon double-header, but I didn't really want to watch them after dark. The thing is that both movies had far more substance than most movies that are churned out by the Hollywood machine these days.
While Red Cockroaches is a futuristic psychological thriller and Last Exit a film noir type look at people on the bottom rung of society's ladder, they both share a commitment to gritty reality and honesty that is missing from a great deal of film making these days. For those of you who still think of "Sundance" as the epitome of independent film making, these movies will be an eye opener.
Nigel, the protagonist of Last Exit is a multi-time loser down on his luck. Forced to flee his native England because of bad debts to a loan shark, he marries his on again, off again Danish girlfriend and settles in Denmark. Desperate for money he takes a series of jobs storing stolen goods for a thug called the President.
Thus begins his descent from the bottom rung into the pit. He begins a torrid love affair with a prostitute named Tanya (Gry Bay) that alienates him even further from his wife and sucks him deeper into a world of deceit and violence. Even the sex he enjoys with Tanya becomes increasingly surreal, augmented with bizarre light shows and projected images across their bodies.
Director David Noel Bourke has created a pulsating, tension-filled Copenhagen; short, choppy editing, hand held cameras, dissonant music and unreal lighting combine to augment the feeling of a life spiralling out of control. The only times that Nigel and we get any relief are his visits to Jimmie, the existentialist pot dealer.
If such a thing could be said to exist in Last Exit, you could describe Jimmie as comic relief, but in reality he is more like a calm pool in the rapids that are carrying Nigel over the edge. He tries to tell Nigel what he needs to hear to find his way out of his turmoil, but Nigel won't listen and eventually his final plunge is assured.
The acting in Final Exit is surprisingly good, with the cast able to be convincing in their roles, without the usual B-movie bad acting mannerisms. Morten Bogelius as Nigel is especially capable in his depiction of the ultimate loser. You can see in his eyes the fact that he knows, no matter what he says, does, or thinks, that he is lost. It's just a matter of time before it falls apart completely.
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