Fabled (2002)
See Joe come undone. See Joe go
out of his fucking gourd. "Fabled" is an oh-so cool
and hip, MTV-styled, glossy film that is much more
about style than substance, much more about looking
good than telling a linear story.
Joe is a guy, see, and he's got
problems. He's breaking up with his girlfriend, his
dog has just run away and he's started seeing his
ex's psychiatrist. As the film unspools, Joe starts
hearing voices and having paranoid delusions. He thinks
people are talking behind his back. There's a seriously
toned memo circulating about him at work. And simply
everyone is fucking his ex. Joe is about to reach
the brink. To tell you much more wouldn't ruin the
plot. There isn't much more. But watching Joe's downward
spiral into insanity can be riveting.
Writer/Director/Editor Ari Kirschenbaum
crafts a quick-cut, hipster slick music video here
and calls it a film. It is little in the way of surprise
when the main character drives down the road while
cool sounding techno trance music plays early on in
the film. What is even cooler is that the lead is
later shown to be mixing in his living room with two
turntables providing this soundtrack. We've entered
a realm in entertainment now where people actually
mix in their own living rooms for no one else's enjoyment
but their own. It's a perfect thing for Joe to do
as well. He's living in his own little fucked-up world,
his own little remix of guilt, imagination, paranoia,
and schizophrenia.
I like the way Kirschenbaum tells
his story. He doesn't rely on typical narrative ideas
to give the film flow. He simply sets the film in
motion, seemingly at the true start of Joe's descent,
and then takes us through the fall. All the while,
visual clues and subtle dialogue exposition lead us
into the back story and into understanding what has
started Joe on his fall and why he is acting the way
that he does.
Desmond Askew, probably best known
as the British TV actor on "Then Came You" and "Roswell,"
is really excellent in the lead. He and Kirschenbaum
must have simply spent hours, perhaps days even, together,
doing little else than experimenting, improving and
filming. Askew really does quite wonderful work here.
This is nearly a sort of post-modern one-man-show.
Yet there are some secondary characters
and they are very important to the story. Acting-wise,
primarily of note is Michael Panes as the psychiatrist.
His listless and lifeless vocal tones recall Gary
Cole in "Office Space" while his physical characteristics
and delivery make us think of him as the post-millennium
Peter Sellars. Although a bit typical in approach,
the effect is perfect.
And then there's a really clever
and cool trick using narration and subtitles to provide
subtext for the plot. This all ties in with the "Fable"
of the title. (Fable is also Askew's character's last
name). This narration is voiced by Della Askew, and
since it is the voice of a British youngster, we can
assume it is a relative of the lead. Nepotism has
little to do with it, however. Young Della has a delightful
and perfect voice for this task. This device also
works to add yet another layer of hipster cool to
the film.
"Fabled" is a really interesting
and really different kind of film. I suppose one could
lambast it for its slick coolness and its glossy visual
style. Then again, that may just the thing which makes
others like it so much. I for one found it compelling
and cool, even if I did get lulled into complacency
by the techno trance chill of it all occassionally.
Note:
Also with Doug Wert (also of "Roswell"),
Tony Cucci and Adam LaFevre.
Music by Simple Simon.
Filmed in New York. Indicative of
such productions, much of the cast have appeared on
Soaps.
Panes had something to do with the
MTV show "Austin Stories."
