The Event (2003)
"The Event" is a really hard film
to watch. It's an AIDS film in an era where that is
now a genre and that genre seems passe. Honestly,
I only took a chance on watching the film because
it had high-caliber stars in it like Parker Posey,
Olivia Dukakis, Sarah Polley and Jane Leeves. And
while the film is somewhat manipulative and feels
vaguely reminiscent of films and TV shows we've seen
before, it is nonetheless deeply emotional and heartbreaking.
Yep, this is a tough film to watch.
Filmmaker Thom Fitzgerald tries
to be clever but succeeds only in being obtuse for
about the first thirty minutes of the film. Introducing
an ensemble cast and telling the story out of chronological
order doesn't make the film arty; it just makes it
confusing. It takes quite a long time to understand
that a man, an AIDS patient, has committed suicide
at a party (called The Event) held for just such an
occasion. District Attorney Parker Posey figures out
that this is something many AIDS patients are doing
and sets out to find out who was attending the party
and who helped the man commit suicide so that she
can prosecute them.
Posey is one of my favorite actresses
and she is truly great here because YOU FUCKING HATE
HER. She is a complete bitch. You just want to shake
her and slap her. But the true star of "The Event"
is Dukakis. She is at her finest here and really makes
us admire her character of the AIDS victim's mother.
Her climatic moment, at her son's suicide, is one
of the most intense and devastating moments ever to
be committed to film. If you do not leave this film
in tears after witnessing this scene, you are a robot.
There are three other moments earlier
in the film that are just as amazing, one of them
hilarious. They come almost one right after the other.
The first is when the gay man, the AIDS victim, played
by Don McKeller (of "Last Night") comes out to Dukakis
not only as a gay man but as a "sick" man with the
disease. This is a pivotal moment because the woman
is not shocked that her son is gay, not upset in the
least. But the second piece of news, of course, devastates
her emotionally.
In the next scene, McKeller tells
his sister, played by Polley, and her reaction is
also like one we've rarely seen before. She gets angry.
"I have AIDS," he tells her. She is stunned momentarily
and then slaps his face. "Don't you ever fucking say
that again," she tells him. She is not homophobic
or hateful. She too is devastated. She just reacts
differently. It too is a powerful scene.
And finally there is a hilarious
moment in the next scene where Polley, whose character
is an actress, dos a commercial for a feminine hygiene
product called Vagimar that will have your sides aching.
It fucking funny and a welcome respite in the proceedings.
Luckily, there will be much more humor to go with
the drama that unfolds here. "The Event" understands
that humor and drama, like life and death, can go
hand in hand.
As the film progresses and we become
more accustomed to the way it is being told and learn
to keep the characters straight (no pun intended),
"The Event" becomes a interesting and intense film.
We have to suspend disbelief that a public defender
would really go to the trouble of investigating this
suicide in order to indeed prosecute it and that seems
a tad far-fetched. But Posey's character gives us
some background in scenes with her family that help
us to understand her history better and to see more
clearly what her motivations are.
"The Event" has its climax, as all
AIDS films do, with the death of the sufferer. But
the relating story and the epilogue of the film helps
us to digest the event and to heal somewhat. This
is as much a film about friends and family and the
right to die with dignity - and how there truly is
no dignity in death - and how strong mothers can be
- and a whole lot more. To call it simply an "AIDS
film" is to truly misunderstand the film.
The film ends with Dukakis and Polley
in NYC at Ground Zero handing out pamphlets. Polley
is saying "The AIDS crisis is not over" as she hands
them out and is getting little response. Dukakis opts
for the more subtle, "May I give you this" and gives
away all her pamphlets. Polley, comprehending this,
resorts to the same technique. But "The Event" is
not as subtle as this. It does not gingerly hand out
information and ideas giving you an option on whether
or not to accept. It hits you over the head and stomps
on your heart.
And rightly so.
Notes:
Viewed on 8/24/03 at the Metropolitan
Theater in Austin as a part of Agliff 2003 (Day 4).
Notes on Agliff 2003 - Day 4 - Part
three
Got to sit next to Craig and watch
the film. A couple of his friends, two cute young
guys whose names I don't even remember, joined us.
Craig is a real crier and he balled his eyes out watching
this. How could I not fall more deeply in love with
a boy who cries even harder at movies than I do? He
is adorable. I just wanted to muss his hair and give
him a big hug.
After the film, I was kind of afraid
of seeming too interested in him (it is clear he likes
me only as a friend) and too pushy and so, to save
some awkwardness on my part, I said a quick good-bye
and headed home. I had to go back to work the next
morning anyway, so I wanted to get home and get some
sleep as well.
I'll only be seeing a couple of
films during the week, so there will probably be a
couple days (like 7 and 8, Wednesday and Thursday)
without reviews or reports.
