Escribitionist (2010)
77 min/not rated
I remember the feeling I got the first time a girl wanted to get to know me better based on a screenplay I wrote. You think you know people from reading their writing. How many times do we feel like we know Kevin Smith or Woody Allen's personality based on their scripts? As writer I can tell you I practically get off on the fact someone thinks they know me based on a script or a blog. Writing can become an obsession and everything you do can find it's way on to the page. The written word is our true world and reality is just a place we visit every once in a while.
The Escribitionist understands the true world of the writer, better than any film since Deconstructing Harry. Director David Smith's newest venture is the story of Josh, a writer so obsessed with making his daily post on Blogger that he becomes self absorbed. He misses out on the things that really matter because the blog becomes more important than the feelings of others. His knack for writing about every detail of his life costs him dearly when he doesn't learn there are some things that you do not mention in a public forum.
Let me just get this out of the way right off the bat, the same way Alvy Singer wanted to kiss Annie Hall before their date got started, Escribitionist is the best film of 2010 so far. Right now you are asking yourself, Jeff likes director David Smith and supports Apartment 2B productions, is this review an attempt to promote the film?
Yes and no.
Yes, like Jerry Harvey from the Z Channel, I want to see Escribitionist prosper. With that being said this is an honest review and the film stuck with me.
So what makes this film better than I Love You Phillip Morris and Atom Egoyan's Chloe?
Well Roger Ebert once said that you had to compare films with similar films, that's the only fair way to judge cinema as a reviewer. Looking at other films of a similar budget, Escribitionist is plagued by a lot of the same limitations. The difference is, with it's smart script and believable actors, it's able to rise above those problems that other low budget productions run into. David's knack for dialogue and the technique of using the blog titles as chapters for the story makes the film nothing short of classy. The voice overs, something that has become a screenwriting no-no, is necessary for this story. They put you into the world of the blog and I couldn't imagine the film without them.
What really adds a sense of realism to the film is the choice of casting. Greg Kiser is the “everyman” romantic lead, almost reminiscent Steve Buscemi's role in Ghost World. There are several people who might take that the wrong way, but I remember hearing someone say on a special feature on Ghost World that they wanted to f*** Mr Buscemi after seeing him in that movie...people will say the same of Kiser. Who really intrigued me though was Emma Gardner. She's so real, and fresh. Every time her scene was over you would have a period of mourning for fear you weren't going to see her again. This is a film where the supporting roles are just as important as the two leads.
David Smith, like director Seth Martin, doesn't want to make the same type of films other low budget filmmakers are making. Instead he makes a film that feels like Cameron Crowe and Woody Allen stepped in to the teleporter from the Fly. His love for West Virginia, and more notably Huntington, is reminiscent of Allen's obsession with Manhattan. At this point though it's almost an insult to compare David to other filmmakers. Since we met David on SDCT while promoting Maneater he has perfected his style. He has grown into something that he has made his own. David's work will be seen, and years from now many of you will be blogging about him. Really it's because David creates characters that you want to see more of, characters that you can relate to. Earlier in this review I talked about Emma Gardner performance. I actually wrote a line I deleted about how she brought a sexy authority to her role. Then I thought is this one of those moments where you shouldn't write everything you are thinking. I wonder if that is a mistake Josh would make. I went on to think about the fact that with trying to be involved with the WV Film Guild, I would probably run into her and her boyfriend at some point... then things would be awkward to say the least. I bet that is the type of awkward situation that Josh would just love to put in his next post... then hit me I'm thinking about this film way too much. Josh has become real to me, maybe I see some of myself in him. That's when I came to the conclusion these characters are as grounded as they can possibly be.
It's for that reason Mr. Smith your film is my favorite film of the year so far.
Rating
I was going to follow the rating format my co-host uses, but I'm still partial to the 5 point system. I also thought about deducting .50 due to some technical limitations in a few scenes with sound. I then remembered what I said above about Roger Ebert and I have to practice what I preach so...
5/5
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