UNDER THE BRIDGE
A film review by Jim Reiff
Copyright 1995 Jim Reiff
1995 R Color and b/w Approx. 93 minutes Written and directed by Charles Weinstein Cinematography by John Thomas
Rating: On a scale of 1-5.... 3. The rating is based on a preview screening complete with chapter marks and soundtrack by Mader (THE WEDDING BANQUET and IN THE SOUP) in various stages of completion. The rough edit of the film was compelling and well paced. The next New York screening should be even better.
As the film opens we follow eight year old Eddie Manly (Matthew Weathers) along the broken Brooklyn waterfront. He follows Sammy (Damien Leake--SEA OF LOVE, APOCALYPSE NOW, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY) who unsuccessfully tries to scare Eddie off. Realizing that like himself, Eddie has no where else to go, Sammy takes Eddie with him down into Hellhole: a desolate riverside littered with the crumbling carcasses of New York's extinct industrial behemoths. This is the urban frontier land of squatters, hookers and thieves.
What follows in this feature debut, written and directed by Charles Weinstein who grew up in Spain, is a mixture of urban fairy tale that borders on magical realism and the grim reality of people who have fallen outside the American, post-industrial system. The cinematography of John Thomas (THE NIGHT WE NEVER MET, METROPOLITAN, and BARCELONA for which he received the Spirit award) mixes 35mm color and black and white manipulated to create the illusion of spontaneous Super-8 imaging.
Hellhole is administered by mayor/commissar John (Zach Grenier--TWISTER, STARS FELL ON HENRIETTA, THE GUTTER SONG, CLIFFHANGER.) John is the kingpin of the motley commune and decides who lives where in Hellhole and John wants nothing to do with little Eddie. His self-involved, crackhead brother played so despicably by Bruce MacVittie (STONEWALL, THE STAND) doesn't even acknowledge the kid's existence until he becomes useful for something. John, clearly put out by the restrictions put upon him by having Eddie around assigns the care of him to Kathy (Melissa Leo--HOMICIDE, SCARLETT, VENICE/VENICE), a junkie streetwalker who has lost custody of her own son to the family courts. Kathy angrily rejects Eddie at first but forced to live together in close quarters he begins to grow on her.
A number of tales are told in UNDER THE BRIDGE as Eddie touches the lives of everyone around him. The mere presence of a child begins to change behavior of the adults who grow slightly more human and responsible whether they want to or not. Only Mickey seems immune.
The film becomes a bit surreal when Rube the Cameraman (Michael Imperiou--I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, GOODFELLAS, MALCOM X, JUNGLE FEVER) shows up wanting to make a movie about the homeless in Hellhole and John, Sammy, and Mickey decide to have a barbecue party with a hundred dollar lottery win. It is a party that Eddie will remember for the rest of his life.
The film is unusual and usual. It is everyday life for some people in New York yet unimaginable by most New Yorkers. The films extras are real homeless people who scratch out an existence on the Brooklyn waterfront, under the Williamsburg Bridge. The cinematography of John Thomas combines the acutely real with a touch of the unreal. The acting is top rate so no one appears to be acting. Nothing really happens yet everything happens, at a brisk pace and with long lasting effect.
Cast: Melissa Leo as Kathy Zach Grenier as John Bruce MacVittie as Mickey Damien Leake as Sammy the fisherman Michael Imperiou as Rube the Cameraman and introducing Matthew Weathers as Eddie Manly
Also with: Marion Quinn, Kimber Riddamien Young, Olek Krupa, Karrenjune Sanchez
Written and directed by Charles Weinstein Cinematography John Thomas Produced by Andy Clark Edited by Michele Harrison Casting by Lina Todd Costumes by Janie Bryant Film score by Mader
Weinstein and Clark previously co-produced the short film, The Gutter Song, written and directed by Weinstein, which received international acclaim and was distributed theatrically in Europe.
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