EQUINOX
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 1993 David N. Butterworth/The Summer Pennsylvanian
Matthew Modine has great hair.
In EQUINOX, the new film from chic director Alan Rudolph, Modine models two different styles--a layered, flowing number in his role as timid auto mechanic Henry Petosa and a brushed back, heavily-moussed job as bad penny Freddy Ace.
Separated at birth, Modine's twin brothers Henry and Freddy live and work in the same fictional city, unaware of each other's existence--and each other's hairstyle choices.
But this is not your typical Hollywood production. EQUINOX extends the tradition of many of Rudolph's previous films (TROUBLE IN MIND, CHOOSE ME, THE MODERNS, etc.), with highly-stylized, atmospheric visuals; a refreshing sense of humor; and occasional excursions into the surreal. It successfully marries themes of identity and destiny in a fantasy dressed as reality; it's a straight-faced fable that's also slightly twisted.
Of course, no Rudolph project would be complete without a diverse cast of quirky, offbeat characters.
Henry is a quiet, nerdy recluse who holes himself up in his poky apartment, watching self-defense TV shows and eating junk food. When the local kids bully him and steal his groceries, he seems pleased to escape with anything--even if it's only a videotape and tin of talcum powder. As Henry himself points out, his life seems to be taking place without him in it. He's afraid of the real world, afraid to speak to his girlfriend, Beverly (Lara Flynn Boyle), with whom he's hopelessly in love.
Beverly is similarly shy, mousy, and insecure. She reads Emily Dickenson aloud to herself, dances with pillows, and takes occasional slugs of cooking sherry. It's no coincidence that she lives in an apartment building called "The Sheltering Arms"--her character is so fragile that anything firmer than a kiss seems likely to break her into a thousand tiny pieces. When Henry forces her to make a decision, she responds uncertainly "You can't do this to me, Henry. Can you?"
By contrast, Freddy Ace is a tough, heartless thug, a driver for a protection racket headed by crime boss Mr. Paris (Fred Ward). Ironically, Freddy has a home life with a wife and two kids (although his idea of a bedtime story is Field Marshall Rommel's biography!). His ditzy blonde wife Sharon (played by Lori Singer) fawns all over him, constantly referring to him as "The Best." "That's very superficial, Sharon," Freddy comments dryly, "...but true." Their scenes together are punctuated by Rudolph's trademark snappy dialogue.
Supporting characters are equally well developed. Beverly's brother and Henry's best friend Russell (Kevin J. O'Connor in an energetically nervous performance) is obsessed with a waitress in a local restaurant. Henry's father Pete (played by the versatile character actor M. Emmett Walsh) is an aging garage owner, full of vaudeville shtick and nonsense. And Henry's neighbor Rosie (Oscar winner Marisa Tomei), a prostitute with a kid in tow, is also charmingly flamboyant.
While the brothers' separate-but-linked stories unfold, the mysteries of their origins are gradually revealed through the investigations of an aspiring writer, played by Tyra Ferrell (who can currently be seen upstaging Janet Jackson in POETIC JUSTICE). This exposition, involving grand romance and a blind trust fund, is more mainstream than one might expect from Rudolph, and therefore less interesting--Ferrell's Sonya Kirk is well played but she's undoubtedly the straightest character in the film.
Matthew Modine's skill at bringing two diametrically opposed characters to life is commendable. He's not your typical actor playing two roles aided by deliberate costume changes, makeup, or vocal manipulations. Henry and Freddy are two complete personalities, one vulnerable, one hardened, both evoking empathy. Reverse sides of the same coin. When light and dark come together and are equal (the film's title defined), Henry is finally given the opportunity to confront himself.
After two disappointing films (LOVE AT LARGE and the production-troubled MORTAL THOUGHTS), Alan Rudolph has reestablished himself as a director with a flair for writing moody, colorful characters into inventive situations. EQUINOX should not only satisfy his fans, but garner him some new ones.
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