The Low Life

John Martin is a young aspiring writer, educated at Yale and recently arrived in Los Angeles. In order to survive and finance his writing John is obliged to take all sorts of casual work; initially sorting credit card receipts, and then as a helping hand to a landlord with both failing apartments and failing morals. John is a regular letter writer to the only stable figure in his life, his uncle. One day John's mixed-up, pot- smoking room-mate moves out. His cousin Andrew arrives instead of him. A rather childish and naive young man from the country, who happily listens to Journey and paints toy soldiers from the Second World War. The socially handicapped Andrew tries desperately to attract John's attention. But John only has eyes for a manic-depressive, vampish Southerner, with a preference for Prozac, Paris and married men. John's circle of friends often hang out together at a dingy performance bar, where their friend Suzy is a waitress. They spend their time there hustling for food and drinks, and wallowing in drunken, quasi-philosophical discussions about life. The Low Life is a successful reflection upon a group of middle class ''Gene-ration X'' youths who live on a shoe string, but who nourish their emaciated bodies with dreams of a richer life; both spiritually and financially. The film is also about an individual's inner distress at his inability to feel any lust for life and his fear of showing compassion and commitment to those around him. Director Hickenlooper's relatively unknown actors give here wonderful performances. The main character remains intriguing despite his asocial attitude to life. The passive, reflective photography, where the centre of attention is sometimes hidden behind someone else's conversation, is effective and gives a good sense of proximity. The well written and intelligent script contains a good many scathing and cynical lines, though the depiction of Andy, the room-mate, is warm and compassionate. Hickenhooper isn't looking for a belly laugh, rather a quiet chuckle or a smile, striking in this way closer to the heart. PL

Premiärstatus
Nordisk premiär: Medverkande
Rory Cochrane, Sean Astin, James Le Gros: Producent
Donald Zuckerman: Manus
John Enbom & George Hickenlooper: Foto
Richard Crudo: Musik
Bill Boll: Talat språk
English