CAMERA OBSCURA Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Hamlet Sarkissian Producer: Tassos Kazinos Writer: Hamlet Sarkissian Director of Photography: Haris Zambarlokous Cast: Adam Trese, Ariadna Gil Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew.

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Review by: Curtis Raines
9/22/03

This movie is a microcosm of everything I hate about "Indie Film." Even the title of the movie, Camera Obscura, screams self-indulgence. I've got news for you, Mr. Sarkissisan -- this movie is not Italian in anyway. "Indie Film" produces great movies consistently year in and year out, but nothing has more potential to be the worst of the worst than a really ego driven independent film. I would much rather be forced to sit through a bad Hollywood film than a bad "Indie Film."

I took film classes through college and it seemed like every semester there was the one student who thought he or she was above everyone else and turned a three-minute introductory assignment into a half hour of symbolic-film-noir straight from a Fritz Lang movie. Of course the professor would have to give accolades because the student's film was so "deep" and "powerful." I always found it sickening. Well, I don't know him, but I'm willing to bet a nickel that writer/director Hamlet Sarkissian was that guy in college.

Adam Trese plays a crime scene photographer who psychologically becomes involved with the victims he photographs. Meanwhile two crooked cops get Trese involved in a scam for quick cash and soon enough, just like the movie itself, everything comes crashing down.

Now when I say crooked cops, that's quite possibly the understatement of the year. These cops make Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant look like Mr. Rogers. Their portrayals are so over-the-top and unbelievable that I began to laugh out loud each time these cops stepped up their nefarious acts of corruption. Cully Fredricksen and V.J. Foster (the two cops) top my list in a tie for worst and most annoying performances of the year. They single handedly made me forget about the decent performance put in by Trese.

A big question mark was raised when I found out that this movie had been sitting in limbo for two or three years. That's never a good sign (See Pluto Nash). But I liked Adam Trese's performance in Laws of Gravity so I was mildly excited to see him in a starring role. But ten minutes going in I realized I was not watching a movie starring Adam Trese -- I was watching a movie starring the director's ego. Nearly every scene screams "Look at my directing technique," making the film's content moot.

Technically, the film falls apart. Random psychological insert shots and fantasy sequences disrupt any flow this film tries to attain. And perhaps the most annoying and egomaniacal part of this movie is Sarkissian's use of sound. Ah, the close-up of a camera followed by its loud bulb flash. Scorsese pioneered it in Raging Bull. Paul Thomas Anderson perfected it in Boogie Nights. And now Harlet Sarkissian ruins it in Camera Obscura. One or two camera flashes, I can see. Three or four, you're pressing it. But I kid you not when I say this movie had at least fifty bulb flashing sounds blast throughout the theater accompanied by bright flashes of light. Sometimes there would be four or five in a row. WE GET IT!!! The sounds of the camera are a metaphor for Trese's anxiety and his breaking down. Enough already, damn it! We don't need to be beaten over the head with it.

And finally the story is just boring, simple and pointless. The chemistry between Trese and his love interest (played by Ariadna Gil) is nonexistent. Never once did I believe these two were in love or even remotely cared about each other. (And for the ending to work, you need to believe this.) I didn't realize until half way through the movie that their relationship was more than just a one-night stand. They are polar opposites on screen.

If you're the blockbuster-action-packed movie fan and can't stand the "Artsy Fartsy" type of films, then stay far away from Camera Obscura. But if you like to venture out and see "Indie-Film" and experience the joys that a modest yet inspired budget can bring…then stay far away from Camera Obscura.

(A Fish Eye Films release. Opens in Los Angeles on September 26, 2003. Expands to more cities at later dates.)