Rating:
Director: Gus Van Sant
Producer: Dany Wolf
Writers: Gus Van Sant, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck
Director of Photography: Harris Savides
Cast: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck
Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew
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GERRY Rating: Director: Gus Van Sant Producer: Dany Wolf Writers: Gus Van Sant, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck Director of Photography: Harris Savides Cast: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Warren
Curry
2/16/03
Is it fitting or ironic that on the same weekend Ben Affleck's box office blockbuster, Daredevil, is unleashed upon the world, his best buddy and younger brother have a significantly more modest film opening? Written by the film's two stars, Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, along with the movie's enigmatic director, Gus Van Sant, Gerry is a minimalist, although not entirely formless, piece of vanity filmmaking. Something about this whole exercise reminds me of Stephen Soderbergh's Full Frontal (movie stars like Damon and Julia Roberts slumming for their director cronies, who are trying, at least for one film, to get back to their "roots"), and Gerry is definitely not a movie for those short on attention span. On paper, this film sounds like a disaster, but what plays out on the screen is actually mostly intriguing. Gerry, ultimately, gets added to the list of movies I appreciate, but would probably never want to see again (the prior entry on that list was Soderbergh's Solaris.)
The story could not be any more simple -- two friends (Damon and Affleck), who may or may not be named Gerry, drive to a desolate area to go for a hike. Hoping to avoid other hikers, they decide to stray from the established path, get lost and wander around desert-like terrain for days on end. While doing so, they don't say much of anything, never drink any water, have their skins roasted a distinct shade of red by the sun, begin to hallucinate, etc.
You're right -- it sounds pretty awful, but somehow it's not. Films like this commonly exist purely as a flamboyant masturbatory exercise for the director and actors, but it's difficult to issue that charge against Gerry, because Damon and Affleck don't have a chance to do much of anything except walk and sweat. The needless chatter that usually overflows in these types of movies is nowhere to be found here. Instead of bantering philosophically about a whole lot of nothing, the dialogue is restricted to things such as Damon relaying an incident about a particularly inept contestant on Wheel of Fortune.
One scene where Affleck gets "rock marooned" (stuck at the top of an enormous boulder with no easy way down) is tense and funny, as these friends, who must realize they're in grave danger, try their best to keep their spirits up. When they speak, it's in a friendly shorthand, utilizing their own set of slang, like the word "gerry," which translates into an "error." When the situation turns dire, Van Sant's technique mirrors the characters desperation, as many of the shots in the film's final half extend, time wise, into considerably uncomfortable territory.
What makes this film work, unlike so many others of its ilk, is that it doesn't deal hopelessly in abstracts. The stakes of this film are life and death, and that, I think we all can agree, is a very basic concept. Because we so completely understand the consequences the characters face, Gerry always feels like it's going somewhere. This also allows Van Sant to be able to get away with a minimum of character development.
Shot in Death Valley, the Salt Flats of Utah and, apparently, Argentina (there are credits for the "Argentina Crew." There's also a "Vegan Chef" credit -- that has to be for Van Sant, right?), the locations are something to behold. Van Sant uses the scenery to compose some beautiful shots, which has always been a strength of his. By the way, is there any filmmaker in the last 20 years who's had a more hit and miss career than Van Sant? Even before he became a faceless Hollywood director (Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester), his "indie" career was marked with some amazing high points (Drugstore Cowboy) and some incredible lows (Even Cowgirls Get the Blues). What will his future hold in store? Who the heck knows?
It bears repeating: Gerry is not a movie for everyone. Even those who regard patience as a point of pride may have difficulty with this film. I wasn't exactly entertained, but I was suitably involved. Although I'm not eager to re-visit this movie anytime in the near future, I am glad to have had the experience.
(A ThinkFilm release. Opened in New York and Los Angeles on February 14, 2003. Expands to more cities at later dates.)
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