Gerry | Review

Van Sant takes us through an experimental route of less talk and more walk.

After the biggest casino heist in Las Vegas history, Linus Cadwell (Matt Damon-The Bourne Identity ) and Virgil Malloy (Casey Affleck-Chasing Amy) leave the Ocean’s Eleven crew and head off to the desert to hide their winnings and smoke some peyote with a dozen showgirls. Actually, I lied; the plot for this film is about as thin as a strand of hair.

Gerry is the type of picture which will infuriate mainstream audiences with its atypical film format. This film lacks any sort of traditional story structures, is well-dry short in the dialogue department and contains sequences without a cut in sight, basically those who are expecting to see Damon in another The Bourne Identity type of role shouldn’t be surprised to dislike the film, perhaps even hate it. However, in my case, this is one of the most visually powerful and emotionally absorbing experiences of the year.

Loosely based on actual events, this is about two buds who take a wrong turn in the wilderness. Unluckily, for them this is a piece of America where they won’t find a 7-Eleven. Commencing with an overture of one long silent car-drive we quickly come to realize that this is a filmmaker’s film, a film which is more concerned about the form. Van Sant takes his characters through a set of Gerry-atrics, explicitly exploring this idea of disorientation, being misplaced among the shrub and unfamiliar terrain is transferred inside images which capture the character’s internal struggle and infernal punishment in the notion of being lost. Perhaps, there is a camouflage on how to read the film, but beyond the obvious frustration that pierces through their sun-burnt red faces, we get a sense that these two characters have a bond stronger than most, hence the need to talk is not that important to understanding the characters. When actual moments of dialogue do take place, it demonstrates the strength and the support that the two Gerry’s have for one another, and it also breaks the tension of the film as witnessed in a funny improv scene that sees one of the Gerrys stuck on top of a boulder not knowing how to come down.

What is gripping about the picture is the various stages found within their psychosis going from simply lost, to craving for liquids to adrift thoughts brought about by hallucinations. The true strength of the picture is found inside Harris Savides cinematography which gives hypnotic doses of intensity. The background and foreground framing of the characters includes the beautiful backdrops which are intermixed within the various times of day lighting. Establishing shots, extreme close-ups and the various camera angles show the creativity and purpose of realizing such a project. Some of the slow-paced tracking shots with a sometimes piano accompaniment add to the film’s serene quality, the stillness of the picture gives a spiraling impression of the vastness of the area and the hopelessness found in their motion of walking. I think that the major turn-off for most will be the extremely long takes, in fact some so long that sunrises and sunsets have time to appear or disappear on the screen. Among the longer takes which I preferred is the close-up of the two faces almost marching in unison and the completely surreal, slow-paced walk of death in the dry desert.

After watching the film you might feel guilty that you were sipping on a Snapple, or you might raise the decibel level of your car radio a couple of notches. This film expertly grips the viewer by merging the plight of the characters and their isolation inside this space and between themselves into the viewer experience. Gerry is a beautifully shot experimental oeuvre which resonates in the same manner as the brilliant earlier work which Van Sant is best known for.

Rating 4 stars