Factotum | Review

Offbeat film about a deadbeat on solid ground with Dillion on board.

After the finely stitched first film of Kitchen Stories, Fjord filmmaker Bent Hamer picks on particularly sensitive material (aiming to please the legions of Charles Bukowski fans) and insensitive material (main character has virtually no positive traits) and delivers the sort of portrait of a sobering slouch with a modus operatus that merges the dark and the cynical characteristics of the source material with the opportunistic and dose of daily reality from those who live life as a nonconformist.

Based on autobiographic-esque 1975 novel (also the basis for the Mickey Rourke film ), the perfume of the hour carries of an air of negativity with careless disregard beautifully exemplified by in the latitude in Matt Dillion’s performance and the situational dilemmas his character must endure. Co-scripted with Jim Stark, Factotum uses narration – pulling from excerpts of Bukowski’s writings and tapping into often humorous thinking process. Classically demonstrating his ineptitudes in generous examples of comic mishaps, easy laughs are made more efficient by the deadpan like nature of the film’s tone and by the character’s numerous attempts at finding, and especially holding onto, various low-end jobs.

There are some people on this planet that if you’d lend 20 bucks to your hopes of seeing that loan paid back anytime soon is in all probability inexistent. Dillion’s Hank Chinaski is that type. Hamer delivers a lovable loser and doses his character with a subdued vileness – perfectly matched with the atmospheric details found in the Minneapolis-St. Paul (posing as Los Angeles) location shot script. The collection of rundown backdrops found in bourbon and beer bars and seedy motel rooms clash beautifully with the brightly lit array of industries.

Lili Taylor and Marisa Tomei who each take turns playing part time lovers contribute to the overall character study and Dillion’s performance draws the best out of the inept and inapt – the added narration has a linage towards his worn-out character in Drugstore Cowboy. The film looks great and sounds great – the jazz-ish score texturizes the personality of the film. For those who like their comedy wry and don’t mind the occasional dry pauses will discover a portrait that is off the beaten track.

Sundance 2006 Jan.22

Rating 3.5 stars