sol-
One thing after another goes wrong on the set of a low budget movie in this film about filmmaking starring Steve Buscemi as the frustrated director at the heart of the tale. From the premise alone, 'Living in Oblivion' might sound like a rather straightforward comedy, but it is actually far from it with a narrative full of twists and turns and some effective cinematic touches, such as all the 'reality' scenes appearing in black and white with only the film-within in colour during the first section of the movie. Writer-director Tom DiCillo's script is hardly airtight with some aspects of the film not really making sense in light of the twists, but in general the twists work very well to further the film's ultimate portrait of how difficult it is to film one particular type of sequence in a credible manner. Also impressive is the attention given to the thoughts and feelings of almost all of the cast and crew characters, each of whom have their own ideas of how to improve the movie they are working on, with Buscemi madly juggling every opinion in a somewhat futile attempt to keep everyone working and happy. James Le Gros tends to get a lot of praise here for his portrait of the comically super-arrogant leading man in Buscemi's film, however, Catherine Keener is just as effective in an early career turn; same goes for Peter Dinklage and his annoyance over being stereotyped.
gavin6942
Film about filmmaking. It takes place during one day on set of non-budget movie. Ultimate tribute to all independent filmmakers.It should come as no surprise that the director of this film learned the trade under the wing of Jim Jarmusch. The film has a very Jarmusch quality to it, and if it had his name on it I would not have been surprised. Especially the black and white scenes. We also get some great guest stars -- Steve Buscemi, obviously, but also Catherine Keener and Peter Dinklage.Not everyone will like this movie. It is a movie for those who make movies, and for those who love the making of movies. Especially independent films with little or no budget.
eddiez61
Small, low budget films hold a special place in many film goer's hearts. We embrace them as our own special offspring. It's an irrational attachment we have for them, like kidnapping our neighbor's child. But cinema, apparently, is some sort of expression of our collective desire to be acknowledged, to be contributing to the public conversation. That's a bizarre, absurd role to demand of independent films, of any film, but that's the weird world we've been born into, isn't it? The ignored, unnoticed independent film is often the container and conveyor of our most salient, real desires. Frustration and anxiety are palpable, ever present qualities of modern life, and low budget films should not be exempt. Tom DiCillo has incorporated these discomforting, disturbing qualities into his poignantly absurd film. The production of the film within the film is at the mercy of unpredictable, arbitrary forces, like malfunctioning smoke machines, incompetent crew members, emotionally distracted actors, and just plain bad luck. Nothing is as effortless and perfect as it is in the "real" movies. This revelation elevates this film into the realm of essential; essential for anyone who is considering making their own independent low budget film, and essential for any fan of quality non Studio, non mega budget films.That it can be so impossible just getting a single scene "into the can" — the expression for capturing on film a worthwhile moment — is a potent metaphor for all our own endeavors. We are continually assaulted with the infinite demands of our mundane lives but are so wiling to sacrifice so much of our precious time to the act of getting it just right, whatever "it" may be. We need to be succeeding at something, anything, in order to feel worthy. And maniacal persistence is the indispensable means to success. However, it's usually a non productive hobby, past time or diversion that occupies us so insistently.Living in Oblivion is a rare opportunity to examine this impulse of ours to perfect relatively minor, inconsequential things. The conceit of the film is that we, the audience, like to believe that we are above and beyond such tedious, temporal concerns, yet we are equally, undeniably fascinated by the intricacies of the "inner" film's creation. "How would I do it?" is a question that frames every scene. But our involvement is irrelevant. That's the paradox at this film's core. That's the ultimate message here, that we, the audience, are inconsequential. That might sound bleak and morose to some, but I found it deeply satisfying. I am not responsible, in the end, for this film's success. I am only watching.Tom DiCillo has earned a reputation as an iconoclast, as a rebel, as an anti establishment defender of the individual. I'm not sure just how justified is this reputation - he has lately directed arguably crappy TV such as Law and Order - but still, he proves himself a potent source of genuinely profound insights in this film. You will learn what it feels like to be an ambitious, hopeful, idealistic artist working in a crass, indifferent, commercial world. That's a rare treat.The fact that Steve Buschemi, Katherine Keener, and Dermot Mulroney are so wonderfully natural is proof that Dicillo has golden instincts. We are granted access to these artist's most transcendent talents. I've seen them all in many different, fantastic roles, but here they are at their absolute best, their most real. That's a quality that nearly all films aspire too, but so very few achieve. Enjoy this film for this commendable fact along with the knowledge that it's nearly impossible to make a film like this today or ever again. (David Lynch did it in 2006 with his Inland Empire which has been ignored by the general film going public. It's a monumentally original, powerful, revolutionary film experience. Charlie Kaufman also accomplished a tremendous feat of originality with his phenomenal Synecdoche, NY from 2008. Both films are subtle expressions of artistic desire in the face of a coldly indifferent, if not outright maliciously violent culture.)
