Storytelling is an indictment of repressive suburbia, but it is also an indictment of the postmodern, ironic, and politically correct intellectuals, and how both parts of society control and restrict people from being truly who they are. It is also about, well, storytelling and how easily stories and plots are manipulated for effect.
The first half hour, "Fiction," is devoted to a story of a college student, Vi, who is tired of "dating the undergraduates" and ends up a violent and racially charged sex scene with her African American creative writing professor. Solondz pushes the limit on all of the society's buttons in "Fiction," from the handicapped to race relations to sexual politics, and it is almost like he was simply out to shock the audience. The short film comes across as even trite and cliched, although now I realize that I'm quoting a scene from it almost directly, so perhaps this is Solondz's point. Still, if you ever seen any other of Solondz's movies, you can see the whole point of this section coming from a mile away (the dangers of political correctness, the prudishness and hypocrisy of the American middle class, even those claiming to be liberal or progressive, etc.) And I just couldn't believe that Vi would only say "Don't be racist, don't be racist" in the bathroom scene. I think "I gotta get the hell outta here" would be much more logical.
However, the brilliant last hour, "Nonfiction," more than makes up for the first half. It tells the story of a listless and intelligent teenager who lives with an angry and sad family in suburban New Jersey, and also about the documentary that is being made about them. Truly, I wish this were the whole movie, it is that good. Yes, there's plenty of postmodern film-within-the-film winking, but that quickly falls apart as we reach the heartbreaking and disturbing ending, when the movie suddenly becomes painfully real. What is also funny about "Nonfiction," which is supposed to be "real," is that it contains completely fictional and even forced plot points: someone is injured and slips into a coma, someone else is hypnotized and told what to do, and even the final, terrible act seems more to come out of a bad TV movie than real life. (I also especially enjoyed the not-so-subtle digs at American Beauty and American Movie.)
Do we want our lives to be more like an episode of "Friends," wrapped up neat and tidy, with minor quibbles that are resolved in a half hour (or, during sweeps, maybe a "two-part special")? Is political correctness just a big cover up for uncomfortable yet still very real desires and thoughts? Which is worse: being told what to do, or being told what to think? Are the two the same thing? Storytelling does address these questions, and I think if "Nonfiction" were stretched to feature-length, it would answer them brilliantly. But, because of the ho-hum first hour (yes, ho-hum, even with "that scene" and all), all the pieces don't quite fall together. To change the lyrics of a certain Scottish band, "It could've been a brilliant movie."
Storytelling is worth seeing for the great acting (in both "Fiction" and "Nonfiction") and the excellent second section, but you can clip your toenails or stare out the window for the most part during the first half hour. I was expecting more of a cynical irony-fest as in Happiness, but I was truly touched by "Nonfiction," and it will stay with me for quite awhile.
The first half hour, "Fiction," is devoted to a story of a college student, Vi, who is tired of "dating the undergraduates" and ends up a violent and racially charged sex scene with her African American creative writing professor. Solondz pushes the limit on all of the society's buttons in "Fiction," from the handicapped to race relations to sexual politics, and it is almost like he was simply out to shock the audience. The short film comes across as even trite and cliched, although now I realize that I'm quoting a scene from it almost directly, so perhaps this is Solondz's point. Still, if you ever seen any other of Solondz's movies, you can see the whole point of this section coming from a mile away (the dangers of political correctness, the prudishness and hypocrisy of the American middle class, even those claiming to be liberal or progressive, etc.) And I just couldn't believe that Vi would only say "Don't be racist, don't be racist" in the bathroom scene. I think "I gotta get the hell outta here" would be much more logical.
However, the brilliant last hour, "Nonfiction," more than makes up for the first half. It tells the story of a listless and intelligent teenager who lives with an angry and sad family in suburban New Jersey, and also about the documentary that is being made about them. Truly, I wish this were the whole movie, it is that good. Yes, there's plenty of postmodern film-within-the-film winking, but that quickly falls apart as we reach the heartbreaking and disturbing ending, when the movie suddenly becomes painfully real. What is also funny about "Nonfiction," which is supposed to be "real," is that it contains completely fictional and even forced plot points: someone is injured and slips into a coma, someone else is hypnotized and told what to do, and even the final, terrible act seems more to come out of a bad TV movie than real life. (I also especially enjoyed the not-so-subtle digs at American Beauty and American Movie.)
Do we want our lives to be more like an episode of "Friends," wrapped up neat and tidy, with minor quibbles that are resolved in a half hour (or, during sweeps, maybe a "two-part special")? Is political correctness just a big cover up for uncomfortable yet still very real desires and thoughts? Which is worse: being told what to do, or being told what to think? Are the two the same thing? Storytelling does address these questions, and I think if "Nonfiction" were stretched to feature-length, it would answer them brilliantly. But, because of the ho-hum first hour (yes, ho-hum, even with "that scene" and all), all the pieces don't quite fall together. To change the lyrics of a certain Scottish band, "It could've been a brilliant movie."
Storytelling is worth seeing for the great acting (in both "Fiction" and "Nonfiction") and the excellent second section, but you can clip your toenails or stare out the window for the most part during the first half hour. I was expecting more of a cynical irony-fest as in Happiness, but I was truly touched by "Nonfiction," and it will stay with me for quite awhile.