Today, we review two films that would be classified as Indie films; and in the pre-pandemic past, would have had a hard time finding mainstream distribution. Now, thanks to the constant drive of the streaming platforms to offer content, it’s far easier for us to watch and appreciate these type of films.
After Yang (Hulu) - Back in 1999, Robin Williams portrayed a robot in Bicentennial Man; and in terms of premise, there’s a lot that’s shared in common with this film. Directed by Kogonada, it’s the differences from that 1999 excursion into SciFi & AI, that make this such a quality film. Yang (Justin Min) is an android that looks human, who was purchased to be the ethnically compatible ‘older brother’ and companion to Mika, the adopted daughter of a couple. Jake (Colin Farrell) and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) take pains to ‘resurrect’ Yang when he suddenly malfunctions, and it’s not lost on them as to how much this is upsetting Mika. Unfortunately, we discover that Yang was bought second-hand, and the warranty Jake was pinning his hopes on doesn’t apply. So the film becomes a journey to find a way to repair Yang, and an examination of what made him ‘tick’.
It’s the defining of ‘human’, and how real relationships are, even if it’s with someone who technically isn’t human, that forms the core of the film. It’s quiet, meditative and very personal. The cinematography and the universe-building of this picture of the future is always impressive without relying on big budget special effects. It’s far more subtle than that, and it’s something you’ll appreciate if you give this film half a chance. It’s quite measured in pace, so I’m forewarning you that it’ll take some patience and commitment to get into this film - but your patience will be rewarded. After watching Farrell in The Batman, playing The Penguin; it’s refreshing to watch him here and display the nuance and complexity of acting that first brought him to our attention. Definitely not for everyone, but it is a deep and humanistic vision of the future.
Red Rocket (Video on Demand) - Directed by Sean Baker, who gave us Florida Project and Tangerine, this new film is driven by the mesmerizing performance of Simon Rex as Mickey Saber, a washed-up adult movie porn star and charismatic conman. The plot revolves around him showing up in his Texas hometown, hoping to find favor with the wife he left, and his mother-in-law. He insinuates himself back into their lives, and to this backwater town, of which he once said he’d never return to. At its heart, it’s a character study that’s really hard to resist. Rex turns Saber into a head-on collision on a highway - an accident that you know holds no real value, is grisly and, possibly, disgusting, but we can’t stop ogling and watching. This is the kind of reaction you’ll have to this film.
The good thing to notice is that at no point does Baker try to soft-sell Saber. He even gets himself entangled with a 17-year old girl who works at the local donut shop, promising her a bright future in porn. There is no getting around the fact that Saber is the sort of person your parents would have told you to avoid at all costs. But as the center of this film, and as portrayed by Rex, there’s nothing we can do but be sucked in by his charisma and dogged persistence. We may not cheer for him, or wish him a happy ending, but we’ve been immensely entertained in the course of the film. Makes you even wonder what Baker could do with a big budget, or whether it’s his specialty to depict grifters and the small people, and create his own film genre.