FIRST LOVE, LAST RITES
A movie review by Joe Barlow
(c) Copyright 1998
STARRING: Giovanni Ribisi, Natasha Wagner DIRECTOR: Jesse Peretz WRITER: Jesse Peretz (based on the short story by Ian McEwan) RATED: R (nudity/sex) YEAR: 1997 SEEN AT: The Studio, Raleigh NC
RATING: * 1/2 (out of a possible *****)
One of the reasons I love independent cinema is the fact that it often breaks the rules of Hollywood, which state that a film must include an all-star cast, car crashes, lots of special effects, and stunningly beautiful characters in order to make money. With budgets approaching pocket change, many indie directors are breaking new ground in visual style by sidestepping these laws. The downside? Some filmmakers are a bit too eager to disregard rules which *shouldn't* be ignored. "First Love, Last Rites," for instance, does away with the notion that a movie should contain a coherent narrative. It cheerfully tosses aside the thought that we should care about our characters. It laughs in the face of the idea that a movie should hold the audience's attention. In short, "First Love, Last Rites" is a film that goes nowhere, and is in absolutely no hurry to arrive.
The story, such as it is, revolves around Joey (Giovanni Ribisi) and Sissel (Natasha Wagner), a young couple living together in a run-down shack in the swamplands of Louisiana. What do they see in each other? I have no idea. Apart from the fact that neither of them are the least bit personable and always appear to be half- asleep, they seem to have absolutely nothing in common. Oh, I take that back: they both love sex. Approximately a third of the film's scenes feature the two of them boinking like rabbits.
Sissel's creepy father soon befriends Joey, and they talk at great length about nothing very interesting. Eventually, the two of them decide to start an eel-trapping business. A large portion of the film revolves around these plans, which are then completely disregarded for no discernable reason. Sissel's dad also attempts to reconcile with his estranged wife by racing his car up and down her driveway. No, I'm not making this up.
Towards the end of the film, Sissel actually begins to display some emotions towards Joey, all of which are negative. She becomes moody and begins boiling her collection of 45RPM records. Why? Again, I couldn't tell you. She berates Joey, although he doesn't do anything except try to give her emotional support and reassurance of his love. (Gee, what a bastard.) My favorite "stupid" moment: while they're having sex, Sissel begs Joey not to pull out of her. A couple of scenes later, she accuses him of trying to get her pregnant. "You're trying to put a baby inside me!" she shrieks. Yes, this is definitely the woman *I'd* want to move in with. Wouldn't you?
I'd like to describe the film's ending, but it doesn't really have one. Sure, there's a moment when celluloid is no longer running through the projector, but the final scene is purely ambiguous. Pick any moment from the movie, and it would be just as sensible a place to end as the one chosen by the director. A great film can have an ambiguous ending: both "The Full Monty" and "Chasing Amy" leave things up in the air at their conclusion; as I left the theater after each, I found myself wondering what the characters would do next. Although "First Love, Last Rites" leaves a lot of unanswered questions when the credits begin to roll, I have not devoted one iota of thought to how they could be answered. I just don't care, unless it involves Joey and Sissel both getting a swift kick in the rear.
"First Love, Last Rites" is a tedious viewing experience, full of bizarre symbolism (the rat in the wall, for example), paper-thin characters, and scenes that make no sense whatsoever. I've seen home movies that had a better storyline. Though the images of the Louisiana Bayou are occasionally lovely, most of the visuals depict the interior of the squalid, rodent-infested house inhabited by our two main characters. Only the music shines, capturing the flavor of the photography in every scene. Skip the film and check out the soundtrack instead. I wish I had.
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