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GERRY (2002) (***1/2)

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Two guys named Gerry walk into the desert… Sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it’s the start of Gus Van Sant’s haunting film about two friends who set out for a day hike in the desert and end up hopelessly lost.

There have been other films about people getting lost, but none of them have been this natural. The film strips all artificial drama from the story and presents the tale in a poetic straightforward way. Some may find the style infuriating, much like Van Sant’s wonderful ELEPHANT. I found it fascinating.

The film has very little dialogue and features very long shots of the characters just walking. You really get a true sense that these two guys have been friends for a long time, because there isn’t any profound conversations between them. Early on in their ordeal they talk about casual things like we all talk about on an average day like a funny thing that someone saw on WHEEL OF FORTUNE or an update on how one is advancing in a videogame. The actions and attitudes of the characters tell us things about them that are never said directly.

Because the film doesn’t ramp up the drama, we get a better sense of the true nature of the situation. It takes a long time for the characters to walk up a mountain and we empathize with what they see and how it makes them feel, because in some sense we feel the time it took to get there. A long take can be powerful for so many reasons. As an audience, we look at a shot and make instant judgments of what it means, but if a shot stays still for a longer time we begin to think about what we may be missing. GERRY does this often.

If one allows the story to engage them then the long takes work powerfully on an emotional level and philosophical level. However, audience members that do not give the film enough patience will be frustrated and bored, not riveted like I was. The ending of the film is sad and poignant, but maybe a bid too “ironic” for its own good.

After the success of GOOD WILL HUNTING and FINDING FORRESTER, Van Sant now has the power to make art films like GERRY and ELEPHANT. Both films are part of a trilogy of films dealing with tragedy. I look forward to the final film in the series LAST DAYS, which follows a Kurt Cobain-like rock star. It’s inspiring to see a filmmaker use their mainstream success as a launching pad to make art. Though, I don’t think GERRY and ELEPHANT are perfect, they are more artistic, challenging and intelligent than 99% of the cinema being made in the U.S. and for that they must be seen.

Rick DeMott's picture

Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks