| LOOKING FOR LEONARD Rating:  Director: Matthew Bissonnette and Steven Clark Producer: Sylvia Wilson Writers: Matthew Bissonnette and Steven Clark Director of Photography: Brian Pearson Cast: Joel Bissonnette, Kim Huffman, Ben Ratner, Darcy Belsher Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Warren
Curry
6/23/02
In the near future, when I hear the description "quirky, indie movie," Looking For Leonard will be the first film that springs to mind. It's a charming work that reminds me a bit, in tone and characters, of Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise (minus the austere formalism). Canadian writers/directors Matthew Bissonnette and Steven Clark have made a film that naturally feels small and somewhat insular, but are able to create engaging, atypical relationships, and sprinkle in enough comedy and tension, to produce a movie that should appeal to most indie film connoisseurs.
Jo (Kim Huffman), an attractive, young woman, is stuck in a going-nowhere-fast relationship with her boyfriend Ted (Ben Ratner). Along with Ted's brother Johnny (Darcy Belsher), the trio makes up small-time gang of petty robbers who prey upon easy targets like convenience stores and dry cleaners. Ted and Johnny are content to waste their days planted in front of the television set, harboring dreams of climbing the criminal ladder, while Jo sneaks out of the house to attend night school with her sole friend Monica (Molly Parker).
Luka (Joel Bissonnette), a computer programmer from the Czech Republic, is looking to start life fresh in his new surroundings. The fact that he has no job, a run down apartment and no friends makes his initial transition to the new environment difficult. He finds a ray of hope, however, when he bumps into Jo at a drug store, as she is shoplifting several items. Luka makes an earnest attempt to endear himself to Jo and the two find an immediate mutual attraction. Things suddenly take a turn for the worse, when Johnny catches Luka and Jo together. The aftermath of the confrontation, which has dire results, forces Luka and Jo to make drastic decisions and, in the process, re-examine their lives.
The film's comic content could've been ratcheted up a notch or two, as the proceedings occasionally get too understated. It's a film that's easy to drift in and out of due to its leisurely vibe, but the atmosphere the film exudes really works to its favor. Lesser filmmakers may have felt the need to make the material excessively dramatic, but Bissonnette and Clark exhibit plenty of restraint -- they clearly trust their script and their actors. The movie never takes itself too seriously, and while it would be off the mark to call this film a comedy, it's also not at all afraid to indulge in those tendencies.
The filmmakers' visual aesthetic is pleasing -- they actually believe in the power of composition (how rare in this day and age)! The static long shots frame the mundane world of Ted and Johnny perfectly and there's a definite beauty in many of the scenes are assembled. There's also a terrific relationship that develops between Luka and a young street hustler named Chevy (the late Justin Pierce -- you may remember him as Caspar from Kids), who teaches Luka some of his tricks to get by. Pierce's energy is so natural and contagious, and one can only wonder what his career might have held in store.
Looking For Leonard is a well-meaning film that also contains an edge. What it sometimes lacks in urgency, it makes up for in intelligence and heart.
(Screened at the 2002 Los Angeles Film
Festival)
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