Kalifornia (1993) Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5.0 stars
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Cast: Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, Michelle Forbes Written by: Stephan Levy and Tim Metcalfe Directed by: Dominic Sena Running Time: 115 minutes (R-rated) / 118 minutes (unrated)
Kalifornia stars David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes as Brian and Carrie, an artistic middle class couple with dreams of making it big in California. Brian is a writer trying his hand at a novel about serial killers and Carrie is a photographer waiting for her break. The two plan on driving out to the Pacific coast, stopping at different serial killer locations where Brian will gather info for his book and Carrie will take the pictures. However to get to California, Brian and Carrie need another couple to split the costs with them. Brian posts a message on a local bulletin board, and it's responded to by Early Grayce (Brad Pitt, about as far away from "Sexiest Man Alive" you can get) and his girlfriend Adele (Juliette Lewis), two folks definitely from the other side of the tracks. Aside from their obvious class differences, a major problem develops... Early tends to explode into murderous rages from time to time.
What I liked most about Kalifornia is that there's no "fluff" involved. Every scene serves to either advance the story or (most importantly) develop the characters. As a result, the people are all human beings and every situation is 100% believable. Also along those lines, while the film is brutally violent, the violence is all a part of Pitt's character and not there just to be gratuitous. Some of the most shocking acts of violence are merely implied, and they are the most disturbing of all.
The four leads in the film are perfectly cast, although special notice must be given to Juliette Lewis. Lewis, while able to play white trash in her sleep, manages to add an extra layer of depth to her character. She ultimately becomes the film's most important character and her performance is truly and sincerely heartbreaking.
Kalifornia is available on DVD from MGM Home Entertainment (this DVD is simply a reissue of the early Polygram edition, no longer in print). It contains the film in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and includes a fullframe option as well on the other side of the disc. The theatrical R-rated cut and an unrated cut of the film (running 3 minutes longer) are available on both sides. Extras include the original theatrical trailer, a behind the scenes featurette, and a booklet with notes from the film's promotional materials.
The film is called Kalifornia because that's the way Brian spells California on the note he posts to the bulletin board. No explanation is given as to why he spells it that way, and some other plot points are equally as vague. However, none of these ambiguities hinder the film in the slightest. Kalifornia is well acted, smartly written, expertly directed, and definitely a film you need to see.
(Note: The booklet which comes with the DVD offers an explanation as to why the title is spelled with a K... it was simply to distinguish it from a 1948 film called California. However, I bet no one would ever confuse the two.)
Reviewed by Chuck Dowling - chuckd21@fdn.com AOL Instant Messenger: FilmJax The Jacksonville Film Journal - http://www.jaxfilmjournal.com/ -- Chuck Dowling Editor - The Jacksonville Film Journal http://www.jaxfilmjournal.com/
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