A Slipping-Down Life (1999/2004)
Note: Some spoilers.
Odd. There is no other word to describe
"A Slipping-Down Life." Just odd. Everything about
the film is odd. From its story and its characters
to the long journey (five years) that the film had
getting into American arthouses. Just odd.
The film, which was lensed in 1998,
stars several thespians who have since become household
names. Then newcomers Guy Pearce, Sara Rue, Irma P.
Hall, Shawnee Smith, and Clea Duvall play alongside
indie vets Bruno Kirby, Veronica Cartwright and the
film's star Lili Taylor. Playing her archetypical
mousey loser, Taylor is still able to consistently
make us care about her Evie. She is the driving force
behind the film. Taylor sets the pace and the tone
and everyone, including Pearce, follow her perfectly.
I hate to giveaway anything about
a film but, unfortunately, I have to here. Other writers
will include this information in the first sentence
of their reviews, immediately ruining the film's biggest
shock for their readers. I'll wait until the third
paragraph and warn you before I do. (Here goes:) Taylor's
quiet, passive Evie begins to follow Pearce's odd,
poetic rock star Drumstrings Casey in the film finding
his voice the only thing that has been able to capture
her imagination in her entire life. In a fit of surprising
(yet odd) boldness, Evie takes some broken glass and
carves the musicians surname into her forehead, leaving
herself scared for life. It is an amazing film moment
and one that comes seemingly out of nowhere in this
story. This one act of daring in Evie's life sets
in motion a series of events that becomes more and
more odd and intense as the film unspools. Odd to
say the least.
Pearce's rocker is odd too. (No
sense in getting a thesaurus as this one word is the
predominant thought while watching this movie). Sort
of a wannabee Jim Morrison without the addictions
and the pomposity, Pearce's Casey is the kind of lonesome
loser who can barely string two words together when
he isn't on stage. And while his poetic ramblings
on stage are equally unintelligible, like Evie, we
think there is something in there that is worth getting
to know. Ultimately, we are wrong but the journey
is interesting nonetheless.
Based on a cult novel by Anne Tyler
("The Accidental Tourist"), which is surely much more
intriguing and compelling to read than this film is
to view, the story here sweats out oddity as if doing
so were spinning gold. There are some stereotypical
characters, like Drum's manager and bandmate who tries
to get their group more gigs, a slutty co-worker groupie,
and a black maid who imparts downhome wisdom - but
somehow this works. The overwhelming weirdness of
the main characters, that of Taylor's and Pearce's,
make the central duo seem like the eye of eclecticism
in a hurricane of monotony.
"A Slipping-Down Life" is more than
just a cinematic oddity... But not much more.
Notes:
Also with John Hawkes of Austin.
Scripted and directed by Toni Kalem
of "The Sopranos" fame. The film won a few awards
at film festivals and was gaining good buzz when Kalem
had the film taken away from her and re- edited. She
fought for several years to finally get her original
cut reinstated and the film released. This finally
occurred in May of 2004.
Filmed in and around Austin in 1998.
The film played Sundance in January,
1999.
Viewed at a press sneak at the Dobie
in May of 2004. My friend Miss Xanna Don't was an
extra in one scene in the film. She is the girl with
the large bouffant hair-do in the employee locker
room at Kiddy Acres. Taylor leans down and gets her
comb for her when she drops it. Xanna, who was a mainstay
of the Austin music scene in the 90's doing an alt_country
act, has moved to another state since the film was
lensed.
Xanna told me that she messed up
a couple times filming the scene and dropped the comb
when Taylor was handing it to her. Taylor was quite
harsh with Xanna but instead of being upset about
it, Xanna respected her perfectionism.
An oddity all my own occurred in
my experience with this film: I met Xanna at a John
Waters' public speaking event presented by Agliff
in 1999. Xanna, with hair as high as can be imagined,
and her partner Ann got into line behind me and my
friend Tim the Wonderhorse (we were first in line
for seats) and upon arriving exclaimed, "Let's meet
the only two people more fanatical than us." I thought
Xanna did her hair for the Waters show but she usually
wore her hair high when performing or in public. Oddly,
Waters was again in Austin in May of 2004 and performed
his one-man show at an Agliff presentation. This event
was held precisely one night before the press screening
of "A Slipping-Down Life" in Austin the next morning.
