Tape (Linklater, 2001)

[X.]

Tape (2001)

“Tape” has only three characters, it takes place in a motel room and the camera never leaves it.

Obviously influenced by Hitchcock's "Rope" -- and not just in the title (“Tape” is also four letters) -- thematically and stylistically, Linklater tips the hat to The Master with a mystery plot, essentially about (1) closure, and (2) the nature of truth, how it can redeem you, how it can bring you peace and liberation. "Tape" starts unsuspectingly, but the deceptive drama goes from a clash of values between two friends (who haven't met for years) to a sexually-charged confessional involving the emotionally superior Aimee, played perfectly by Uma Thurman.

Ethan Hawke is wildly charming -- his character is a psychotic, "potentially violent" person, whose only redeeming quality is he does not grandstand; Hawke handles his gentle descent from dangerous into cuteness with extreme grace. In Linklater tradition, "Tape" is a talkative piece, but there's rarely a dull moment thanks to great acting, and most importantly to the clever, razor-sharp editing that become the only visual differentiator between this film and "Rope” (shot, in contrast, using a series of long takes).

Eventually the viewer try to answer the obvious question: why can't these guys just leave the room?  They don't (or if one of them does, they come back) because they are unresolved issues, and the jibes and emotional stabs compel them to stay. I bought it; it was believable.

On display is a searing insight into the competitive nature of male friendship and the perverse, borderline homoerotic undertones between any two guy friends. Aimee plays the girl who comes between them but she may not be able to end their friendship (Can Ethan Hawke's turncoat redeem himself? I’m not saying). Just like his debut masterpiece “Slacker” Linklater's continues the social and culture commentary (calling a fat person fat is bad?) and he dives into themes of nostalgia with conversations about how good and memorable high school life is. It feels personal to me, this kind of filmmaking, because like Linklater I also identify with the pains of growing up, the magic and fascination of living in the past when things were simpler, more fun, and mistakes came without immediate repercussions. An ingeniously constructed psychological drama; humorous, moving and clever. ak 

Rating:
out of

[X.]

Dedicated to Fizz who has endlessly championed this little masterpiece.

[animatedude]

i loved this flm.man i feel sorry for Umma.i've just seen her on oprah show and she was crying when asked about her divorce from Ethan.

last week i saw Slacker and Waking Life back to back, and to this day i can't stop laughing everytime i remeber the "Iam Anti-Artist" part. LOL.

now the real question is where's A Scanner Darkly?!

[fizz]

Ak...glad you liked it. My original review from ages ago:



Tape: An indulgent, extremely low budget gem, complete with realistic lighting and NO background music or score at all and shot on digital video (and eventually edited on Apple's Final Cut Pro software). Its also very Hitchcockian in its approach, not to mention experimental, since the entire running time of the film takes place within the confines of room 19 of a cheap motel.

There are 3, and ONLY 3, characters that appear during the entire premise, and all the performances are very natural. Ethan Hawke has to be seen to be believed, the man exudes menace. He is described as a careless man on the verge of violent tendencies and he proves to be all those things with just the words that he speaks. The plot itself succeeds in how it shows that differences between people can turn friendship into a competition. The entire first half is the beginnings of a breakdown of two peoples relationship (Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard). Watching it I knew that I've been each of those people in different phases of my life.

From a dialogue and film perspective its about as engrossing as the Before Sunset/Sunrise series, except this is darker material. The level of clairvoyance that the characters speak is superb. This is a battle b/w a failure and a success and the term 'You hurt the ones you love' is triumphantly emphasized. People are complex and that complexity is so well captured by Linklater. I can't stop thinking how the ambigous third act, when the Uma Thurman character arrives, actually tops everything that happens before because of this sense of people interpreting the same event through their memory of it.

This is the second movie I've seen this year based on a stage play that actually felt like a stage play and was very good because of it. The second movie ofcourse was the very very excellent Closer, and if dialogue driven movies in single settings are your cup of tea, complete with the Linklater verbal stamp, give this a watch.

Personal Rating: 4.5/5

[kaytee]

Yup thanks to Fizz I managed to watch this one too a few months back and the movie was quite an experience. You somehow connect to the dialogues and feel like giving your take on things too. Excellent film from a master story teller.

Now I have to see Slacker.

[ozzylogic]

Beautiful. JUST watched it...it's a true gem. In some ways, in fact, many, it reminded me of Phone Booth.

[fizz]

now the real question is where's A Scanner Darkly?!

Animatedude, I got bad new and bad news.

I was speaking to the CEO of Front Row a couple of weeks ago and he confirmed that they do not have the ME rights to distribute/release Darkly. Before they picked up sole rights for WB, the movie was snatched up by competitor Gulf Films. Considering In this world will be released in the UAE after nearly a 9/10 month wait, I'm not too optimistic about seeing Scanner in theatres anytime soon. There is some respite however, also from Front Row entertainment:

The feature film (Fast Food nation)will hit Middle East screen in mid November. An ensemble piece examining the health risks involved in the fast food industry and its environmental and social consequences as well. US Release date has been set for October 20 and is release by 20th Century Fox.

[animatedude]

you meen Gulf Films will release A Scanner Darkly in the middle east but not anytime soon? i don't care! as long as it gets released on the big screen.

[animatedude]

any news on this Fizz?

cool interview with Richard Linklater here: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30709

: I've have really enjoyed your two Criterion disks, SLACKER and DAZED AND CONFUSED. Are you planning on doing any more of those?

RL: I hope so. I think they’re trying to get the BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET together, because we’ve done nothing special for either of those, so I’d love to do that. I’m trying to get them to…you know, SUBURBIA’s not even on DVD? It’s kind of getting lost.

[fizz]

any news on this Fizz?

Speak to my agent.