#impolex

[dare-g]

Impolex (2009)

[beautifulimages]

Impolex (2009, dir. Alex Ross Perry)

[kristenswig]

#23. Impolex - Alex Ross Perry

[sweatercinema]

Impolex dir. Alex Ross Perry (2009)

[iliketowatchmoviesalot]

06-22-2016 Queen Of Earth (2015) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3993894/

Ever since filmmaker Alex Ross Perry from Pennsylvania made his debut with 2009’s Impolex, his career has been a busy one. He averages almost a project a year, with 2014’s Listen Up Philip and 2015’s Queen Of Earth giving him opportunity to really showcase himself; both movies have been released more widely than any of his other projects, and they are both rewarding views.

Queen Of Earth focuses on the relationship between two best friends: Catherine (Elisabeth Moss) and Virginia (Katherine Waterston). Catherine is having a hard time personally, having just been dumped by her boyfriend right after her father died. To recover from this catastrophic turn of events, Virginia invites her up to her parent’s vacation house in the woods, just like the year before. Catherine however behaves rather awkwardly, and as her strange behaviour gradually grows stranger, Virginia is having a hard time coping with her friend. They want to recapture the experiences they had in the house last time around, but as we find out that that vacation wasn’t as idyllic as we first thought, everything starts to turn hostile and perhaps even violent.

Heartbreak and grief does funny things to people, and I am sure one of the people closely involved in making this movie has suffered from it. There is hardly a worse feeling, and while many filmmakers in the past have gotten inspired by this, Alex Ross Perry (director, writer and producer) takes this inspiration and makes a greatly awkward movie, fueled by fantastic acting by Moss (who almost singlehandedly carries to the film), painful dialogues, feeling of eerie impending doom (brought to great heights thanks to the minimalist score by Keegan DeWitt) and a healthy dose of what-is-happening-here. I was intrigued throughout.

8

[guillaume-en-egypte]

Impolex dir. Alex Ross Perry (2009)

[movietitles]

[thelawnwranglerwrites]

Impolex (2009) - by Alex Ross Perry, starring Riley O'Bryan, Kate Lyn Sheil, Eugene Mirman, and more.

Impolex is an imperfect, ridiculous beast of a low budget first feature from writer/director Alex Ross Perry. The first thing I could think of about it is that it could easily be 10 minutes shorter. That said, it's so eerily inventive and fascinating in its premise and details (I'd absolutely LOVE to read this script). Issues of suspension of disbelief and the amorphously-fitting nature of Perry's style had me at odds constantly, especially when it's just about this man walking and walking around with a rocket. All this walking leads to fantastical revelations and occurrences that add to the intrigue, but it takes a little too long to bridge together these sequences, as interesting as they are. It's funny, because Perry has grown to be such an esoterically hilarious and quick witted writer, director, and editor when it comes to pacing. Comparing this film to Perry's latest, Listen Up Philip, is looking at two extremes of narrative hand holding; Philip has intensive narration giving us even more than we expect, while this tosses us into the wild just like its protagonist. Impolex feels more dreadful, in a non-negative sense, toeing the line between tension & aforementioned intrigue, and restlessness-invoking turtle-pacing.

But damn is it an interesting and often funny picture. Intriguingly written in episodic bursts full of dead-pan performances that work slightly more than they don't, which often feels like slightly equal fare. Kate Lyn Sheil is great as per usual, and her presence, eerie as it is, always makes for interesting dramatic scenarios. Riley O’Bryan as the protagonist is stoner slackery at its finest, but completely out of place… in an almost perfect way. I would’ve loved to see something like him interacting with other soldiers who are more fitting to the time and setting. Still, this movie can chalk up his attitude and deadpan presence as another anomaly. Perry has a strange thing for stilted performances, and it works occasionally. Other times it feels out of nowhere. At least here, the premise is so strange that it almost fits. You know, Eugene Mirman playing a talking octopus is not something that happens in every movie (which is a goddamned shame).

Sometimes I think about this premise being handled in a much less claustrophobic fashion. The frame is almost constantly filled with forest greenery, and is constantly moving and refocusing. It’s tension raising, as if the protagonist is going to run into something else out of nowhere, which he usually does. If the film was handled in a more composed fashion, it would make for one hell of a different kind of story, that’s for sure. Alex Ross Perry’s style and handle here, though imperfect, really wears all it has with pride and weird passion. It feels reminiscent to mumblecore associate Andrew Bujalski’s “Computer Chess”, expanding the naturalistic style into the unknown and unexpected that keeps getting more engrossing as it progresses. The ambition at hand for a film like this tackling a plot like this still boggles the mind. No doubt an impressive first feature that has lead to absolute growth in a talented and potential voice.

Alex Ross Perry's next film, Queen of Earth, is another relationship drama starring Elizabeth Moss (who is amazing in Listen Up Philip). Perry is clearly finding his stride here, but someday... it would be really nice to see him experiment once again, similarly to Impolex. Especially with all he's gained and learned over these past few features, he can make something really mind blowing. I look forward to that.