In reading other reviews of this film, it seems that many were looking for something more visceral than what the film delivered. I find this ridiculous when the fascinating thing about the story is that its mysteries are rooted in its characters and not trumped up drama. The film ends in a satisfying way that stays true to the characters and doesn’t rely on typical thriller histrionics.
In little over 80 minutes, the film develops three solid characters. Gabriel Noone (Robin Williams, GOOD MORNING VIETNAM) is a radio performer who reads tales on air gleaned from his life. He’s miserable due to the recent break up of his relationship with the younger Jess (Bobby Cannavale, THE STATION AGENT), who wants to embrace life more fully after a recent reprieve from his AIDS. Then publisher Ashe (Joe Morton, TERMINATOR 2) brings a manuscript to Gabriel to read. It’s a harrowing true tale of abuse written by 14-year-old Pete Logand (Rory Culkin, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME). Gabriel is so moved by the boy’s tale that he calls him and begins a close phone relationship with Pete and his blind adoptive mother Donna (Toni Collette, THE SIXTH SENSE). Then one day Jess hears Pete’s voice and questions whether Pete and Donna are not one in the same. As his housekeeper Anna (Sandra Oh, SIDEWAYS) helps him look for proof of Pete’s existence, Gabriel tries to hold on to hope that he hasn’t been duped. An eventual visit to see Pete in person begins to reveal the ramifications of Donna’s own problems.
Once Pete’s existence is put into question, we no longer believe that he is real. However, Gabriel’s need for Pete to be real is so compelling that his feelings drive the narrative. Then we get Donna, who is fascinating. The screenplay from Armistead Maupin and Terry Anderson develops its supporting cast in a way that it illuminates its main character more fully. A brief few scenes with his father (John Cullum, 1776) reveals a lot about Gabriel’s past and how it still affects his present. Gabriel’s need to take care of his lover combined with how he mines his life for material for his radio show creates contradictory feelings in Jess, who knows Gabriel loves him, but is unsure whether the older man can separate fact from the fiction he has created. This conflict will be mirrored in a more extreme way with Donna. She’s a sympathy junkie and it’s amazing how good she is at getting it.
Director Patrick Stettner (THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS) uses the uncovering of character details to build the tension well and rightfully never forces unneeded melodrama into the situations. He also gets great performances from Williams, Collette and Cannavale. Williams is taps into a great sadness in a low-key performance. Collette is amazing in how she creates a believably disturbed woman that makes us nervous at what she is capable of doing. Compared to his work in THE STATION AGENT, Cannavale’s work here shows the actor’s range.
This short feature develops its characters more fully than some features twice as long. It truly deserves to be described as a psychological thriller. This is probably one of the most underrated films of 2006. Don’t miss it.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
