Jason KingMala Noche - Gus Van Sant's First Film (6/10)
November 2nd 2010 07:51
:
We All Begin Somewhere
Category: Reviews
Mala Noche - Gus Van Sant's First Film (6/10)
Mala Noche is the first feature film by Gus Van Sant, also known as Bad Night, it is a 1985 American drama film written and directed by Gus, based on an autobiographical novel by the Oregon poet Walt Curtis. The movie was shot in 16 mm, mostly black-and-white and shot entirely on location in Portland, Oregon. I had seen this DVD at Borders for $30- and kept saying "I will not pay that for a DVD" - low and behold they are now clearning out DVDs - they had all DVDs for $10- so, of course, I went nuts
.
The story follows relationship between Walt (Tim Streeter), a homosexual store clerk, and two younger Mexican boys, Johnny (Doug Cooeyate) and Roberto Pepper (Ray Monge). Walt and his female friend (Nyla McCarthy) convince them to come over for dinner, but Johnny and Pepper have to return to their cheap hotel because another friend is locked out. Walt makes his first pass at Johnny by offering him $15 to sleep with him. Johnny refuses and runs to his hotel room, leaving Pepper locked out with nowhere to spend the night but Walt's. Settling for second best, Walt lies down next to Pepper and allows him on top for sex. However, he does not give up on trying to win over Johnny. The film progresses from there into not always clearly-defined relationships, unbalanced by age, language, race, sexuality, and money.
A story of amour fou, misdirected and insane love. Walt is madly in love/lust with a young illegal Mexican immigrant. "I wanna show this Mexican kid that I'm gay for him", says Walt. However, the object of his unrequited affection doesn't even speak any English and finds Walt really strange and undesirable.
The acting isn't woeful and Streeter is not too bad playing his part. Cooeyate and Monge are pretty bad but as they are totally alien and foreign in the film it works. I have to let the film off slightly as the film was made for $25000- but as a gay man I felt that Walt was just a pining idiot who just wouldn't take no for an answer as his desires needed to be quenched. I really thought the Mexican boys were going to get violent but instead one of them settles for some loving thus leading Walt to believe he can finally get Johnny, the one he truly desires. But seriously Johnny is on track to be shot or become an alco junkie - his prank with stealing the car is probably what Walt deserved but why you would still be chasing after this boy after that is beyond me - I would much preferred to have run Johnny and Pepper over.
I loved the black and white filming and the extras that kept coming into Walt's store - I found them to probably be real street dwelling alcoholics who gave a great culture to the film. But overall this is a student film from Gus, and you can see of his desires to portray homosexuality in youth stuck with him throughout his career. On film I find this man a genius but I really was expecting more genius from this film - something that hit me in the head and said this is where he came from. By the end of the film I wanted to slap Walt and tell him to bloodywell move on. Another thing slightly annoying - the film has no ending or closure - nothing is resolved and this bugged me - why not have Johhny killed and then Walt could have killed himself hahahahaha. Or at least moved on!
For some reason this film has been hailed as a work of "Gay" cinematic brilliance - I just don't see how a deluded older man making an idiot of himself chasing young tail is reason for this. There are definitely minute echoes of his future films My Own Private Idaho and Drugstore Cowboy in this but not enough for me to gush like an over excited school boy. Gus has two works of brilliance for me - Elephant and Idaho and these are massive standouts for me. What does work well for this film is the brilliance in the camera work. Gus directed it well but John J Campbell shot it superbly - the angles, roughness of it and dodgy lighting all work its effect brilliantly. The use of 16mm also added to the old school look of the film and the fact that at some times the audio is incomprehensible also added to its quality.
Every director has to start somewhere and this film, while nothing overly exciting, from a student the film would have created much discussion and for this Gus needs to be commended.
Mala Noche is the first feature film by Gus Van Sant, also known as Bad Night, it is a 1985 American drama film written and directed by Gus, based on an autobiographical novel by the Oregon poet Walt Curtis. The movie was shot in 16 mm, mostly black-and-white and shot entirely on location in Portland, Oregon. I had seen this DVD at Borders for $30- and kept saying "I will not pay that for a DVD" - low and behold they are now clearning out DVDs - they had all DVDs for $10- so, of course, I went nuts
.
The story follows relationship between Walt (Tim Streeter), a homosexual store clerk, and two younger Mexican boys, Johnny (Doug Cooeyate) and Roberto Pepper (Ray Monge). Walt and his female friend (Nyla McCarthy) convince them to come over for dinner, but Johnny and Pepper have to return to their cheap hotel because another friend is locked out. Walt makes his first pass at Johnny by offering him $15 to sleep with him. Johnny refuses and runs to his hotel room, leaving Pepper locked out with nowhere to spend the night but Walt's. Settling for second best, Walt lies down next to Pepper and allows him on top for sex. However, he does not give up on trying to win over Johnny. The film progresses from there into not always clearly-defined relationships, unbalanced by age, language, race, sexuality, and money.
A story of amour fou, misdirected and insane love. Walt is madly in love/lust with a young illegal Mexican immigrant. "I wanna show this Mexican kid that I'm gay for him", says Walt. However, the object of his unrequited affection doesn't even speak any English and finds Walt really strange and undesirable.
The acting isn't woeful and Streeter is not too bad playing his part. Cooeyate and Monge are pretty bad but as they are totally alien and foreign in the film it works. I have to let the film off slightly as the film was made for $25000- but as a gay man I felt that Walt was just a pining idiot who just wouldn't take no for an answer as his desires needed to be quenched. I really thought the Mexican boys were going to get violent but instead one of them settles for some loving thus leading Walt to believe he can finally get Johnny, the one he truly desires. But seriously Johnny is on track to be shot or become an alco junkie - his prank with stealing the car is probably what Walt deserved but why you would still be chasing after this boy after that is beyond me - I would much preferred to have run Johnny and Pepper over
.
I loved the black and white filming and the extras that kept coming into Walt's store - I found them to probably be real street dwelling alcoholics who gave a great culture to the film. But overall this is a student film from Gus, and you can see of his desires to portray homosexuality in youth stuck with him throughout his career. On film I find this man a genius but I really was expecting more genius from this film - something that hit me in the head and said this is where he came from. By the end of the film I wanted to slap Walt and tell him to bloodywell move on. Another thing slightly annoying - the film has no ending or closure - nothing is resolved and this bugged me - why not have Johhny killed and then Walt could have killed himself hahahahaha. Or at least moved on!
For some reason this film has been hailed as a work of "Gay" cinematic brilliance - I just don't see how a deluded older man making an idiot of himself chasing young tail is reason for this. There are definitely minute echoes of his future films My Own Private Idaho and Drugstore Cowboy in this but not enough for me to gush like an over excited school boy. Gus has two works of brilliance for me - Elephant and Idaho and these are massive standouts for me. What does work well for this film is the brilliance in the camera work. Gus directed it well but John J Campbell shot it superbly - the angles, roughness of it and dodgy lighting all work its effect brilliantly. The use of 16mm also added to the old school look of the film and the fact that at some times the audio is incomprehensible also added to its quality.
Every director has to start somewhere and this film, while nothing overly exciting, from a student the film would have created much discussion and for this Gus needs to be commended.
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Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Like you though I also loved Elephant
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I am with the Mexican kids - he was pathetic and I prayed I am not like that with people I have a crush on.
Yay Elephant