Ray Pride

Cop movies. Road movies. Genre either affords filmmakers the chance to experiment or to conform to some pattern that's gonna make 'em rich. Or so the theory goes. So many Bonnies, so many Clydes, so little inspiration. Coming off the compromises and commercial non-performance of his first American feature, the Sandra Bullock-starring comedy "Two If By Sea," writer-director Bill Bennett, a veteran of twenty years of filmmaking, retreated to his Australian home and wondered what he should do next. For almost a decade, he had toyed with a script about an impulsive, hair-trigger outlaw couple on the run who may or may not be murderers -- they can't even trust each other. The result, "Kiss or Kill," was filled with hand-held shots, jump-cutting and a general sense of unease and enigmatic portent even as we are drawn into it's twisted, often hilarious, world. Trained as a photojournalist, working with documentary form, experimenting with improvisation, Bennett has found a charming, edgy outlet for the "dirty look" he admires in filmmaking.

Bennett is in New Orleans, plotting a new film following similar strategies, tentatively called "Bodybait." But his vivid approach began with "Backlash," a gripping, little-seen thriller being shown next Monday as my selection for the festival's Critic's Choice series. The 47-year-old director was greatly influenced by one of his own favorites, "The Last Detail," in crafting a story about two cops returning a female aboriginal prisoner to the outback to stand trial for a murder she is alleged to have committed. On their journey, they discover that she is in fact innocent, and then try to collar the real culprit.

"'Backlash' was my first improvised film," Bennett told me in a recent conversation about his $175,000 debut, which had a two week edit and a three-day sound mix before being rushed to the Cannes Film Festival. "I had come from a documentary background, and wanted to see if it was possible to blend the two forms. The intention was to go out with a basic crew of about six people and instill in the actors such a strong sense of character that everything that they reacted to was consistent with the inner life that they (and I) had created." They shot for eighteen days after a two-week rehearsal in Sydney. Bennett has done four films this way so far, refining his process with each film. "It differs from the way Mike Leigh does improvised films in that the rehearsal period is not about finding story and dialogue, it's about finding character and then the dialogue happens on location just before we shoot." So do they talk about the dialogue ahead of time? "We never discuss dialogue during the rehearsal, in the belief that the actors won't know what to say or the way it's said until they know who their character is," he says.

What's the satisfaction Bennett gets from walking this kind of logistical tightrope? "The greatest satisfaction comes from the 'unplanned accidents' -- those moments of surprise that come from the intelligence of the actors and the homework they've done. Again, like in a documentary, where people will come out with the most unexpected moments which, on reflection, are a product of who they are and where they've been through their life. I get far more of a kick with this type of work because smart actors invariably come up with stuff that is far more clever than anything I could have created sitting by myself in a room with a humming computer."

Bennett already had shot about thirty documentaries before this, including three "dramatized" ones, and he felt confident in using landscape to tell a story, and knowledgeable about camera and editing. But he lacked confidence in his ability with actors and performance. His documentary background, however, had convinced him he " knew what was 'real' and 'truthful,' and figured that if I allowed that to be my guiding light, I'd be OK." He laughs. "The fact was, I was young [about 30] and foolishly thought that I could do anything. Boy was I wrong. The shoot was horrible -- the actors believed they were making the film and tried to take over and make their characters 'nice' -- and I had dreadful fights with them all, trying to wrest the film back. I learnt a lot from that experience, one thing being that you must only allow actors a certain amount of freedom. In the end, you're the one in the editing rooms months after everyone has gone home, and you, the director, have to make it work."

While it remains a striking piece of work, Bennett says, "I don't think the film is entirely successful -- looking back now, I admire its energy and bravura, but I cringe at its obviousness and clumsiness in parts. However, I learned a huge amount, in particular, how to handle actors better, and the fact that you do need all those people on a film set to make things move faster, more efficiently, and it helps to have catering."

Ray Pride will introduce the screening of "Backlash" October 16. Check next week's Newcity for time. Bennett will appear if his pre-production schedule allows. (2000-10-05)

Also by Ray Pride

RAGING HORMONES
Karyn Kusama's "Girlfight" has made the festival circuit, from Sundance to Cannes to Toronto, garnering awards (two at Sundance, for best dramatic feature and direction), and it has sparked several fundamental forms of discussion, but it possesses an emotional ferocity, a narrative polish and an attentiveness to gesture and an actor's charisma that is rare and thrilling. You have not seen this film before.
(2000-09-28)

THE WHITE ALBUM
Writer-director Cameron Crowe has at least one infernal phrase to his credit: "Show me the money!," anyone?
(2000-09-14)

IN THE COMPANY OF RENEE
If "Nurse Betty" were directed by an unknown, its dark comedy and sunny-dispositioned star would probably make it a critics' favorite.
(2000-09-07)

VOICES CARRY
Let's say the first glory of Irish literature is the fact that a recognized artist doesn't pay any income tax. The second glory is the prose that flows free into the rest of the world.
(2000-08-24)

BENT
(2000-08-17)

KISSER OF MEN
(2000-08-17)

WINONA WEPT
(2000-08-17)

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISARRAY
(2000-08-03)

AMERICAN CUTIE
(2000-07-20)

EYEBALL KICKS
(2000-07-06)

HOLLYWOOD'S LONELY MAN
(2000-07-06)

RIDERS ON THE STORM
(2000-06-29)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment