THE HIGH ROAD
A film review by Christopher Null
Copyright 1997 Christopher Null
The issue of whether Thomas Pallotta and Jack Meredith are twisted sons of bitches is not up for debate. A better point of contention is, are they geniuses, and what happens to them next?
After seeing their ultra-low budget production of THE HIGH ROAD, a drug- and booze-infused trip around the state of Texas, I'm almost unable to comment. What might be described as EASY RIDER meets DRUGSTORE COWBOY, the movie is certainly a success in terms of experimental filmmaking, and it definitely has the potential of becoming a cult classic on the midnight circuit.
While following go-nowhere (and I *mean* it) twentysomethings on an inspired-by-nothing journey is nothing new, Pallotta's camera direction and eye for locations is more reminiscent of David Lynch than Dennis Hopper. Making the most of almost no money (how they got such a fantastic score is beyond me), Pallotta proves that his directorial style is a force to be reckoned with, should the Money Men come knocking.
Although the road movie has seen a resurgence of late, what sets THE HIGH ROAD apart from recent klunkers like THE DOOM GENERATION is the deadpan goofiness with which Pallotta and company have infused the film. Full of sex, drug, and alcohol cliches, all delivered in monotone by the cast of amateurs, the movie is one long running joke about being high, yet in some bizarre way manages to be as anti-drug as anything I've ever seen.
With production values at the low end of low-budget, much of the film's sound is drowned out by room/car tone and tape hiss. It's unfortunate, even if it is expected. The performances from the four leads are all, oddly, exactly the same, due to what Pallotta refers to as "the hyperrealism of the Huston/Bunuel approach." I'm not sure if I know what that means, and I'm not even sure if I spelled "hyperrealism" right, either... but, as with most experiments, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Thankfully, THE HIGH ROAD works more often than not, and any fan of the genre will definitely be entertained.
THE HIGH ROAD opens at the Dobie Theater in Austin on January 17.
RATING: ***1/2
|------------------------------|
\ ***** Perfection \
\ **** Good, memorable film \
\ *** Average, hits and misses \
\ ** Sub-par on many levels \
\ * Unquestionably awful \
|------------------------------|
-Christopher Null / null@filmcritic.com / Writer-Producer -Visit the Movie Emporium at http://www.filmcritic.com -and Null Set Productions at http://www.filmcritic.com/nullset.htm
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