An Unconventional Vision

In an extremely perceptive 1992 review of Simple Men, Stanley Kauffmann outlines some useful insights into the films of Hal Hartley. Chief among these is the notion that Hartley, through the course of his work, has been carving out a set of cinematic conventions that is in contrast to, but does not attack, our usual notions of the well-made film. Hartley's detached way of viewing his characters and the events that befall them can make his films a disconcerting experience for the viewer who expects the usual development of suspense and sympathy within the story. In his dialogue and composition, Hartley exerts a precise, razor sharp control over stories that seem to veer randomly. He coaxes performances from his actors "that would be abstract if every detail of speech and movement were not right out of dailiness." People in Hal Hartley's world act much like people in our own, if they could be tweaked just a little bit.

In his new film, Amateur, Hartley is in step with a recent trend--the rediscovery of noir themes as seen in films like Kiss of Death and The Underneath. But where those movies do little more than update the noir structure with contemporary imagery, Amateur takes the structure and bends it to Hal Hartley's vision. Martin Donovan stars as Thomas, an amnesiac trying to figure out who he was with the help of Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert), a nymphomaniac and virgin ("I'm choosy," she explains matter-of-factly) who's awaiting instructions from God. Sofia (Elina Lowensohn) thinks she knows who Thomas is, but she isn't telling, for two reasons. One, she was pretty sure that she'd killed Thomas, who forced her into a life of drug addiction and pornographic films. And two, she's busy scrambling for cover after her attempt to blackmail Thomas's partner goes horribly wrong. As Thomas and Isabelle begin to poke into his shattered memories, they eventually cross paths with Sofia.

In this film Hartley combines various elements into precise patterns, a major step forward for him. From the hitmen who argue over the comparative quality of different cellular phones to the cop who's nearly reduced to tears, the characters that surround the protagonists are crafted with an eye for detail that seems to arise out of the circumstances of the scene. Damian Young deserves notice for his portrayal of Edward, an accountant who gets his brain fried because of his association with Thomas and Sofia and consequently spends the second half of the film lurching around in wild-eyed fashion. He has two stellar scenes, random, freaky moments in the increasingly dark story.

There are moments when Amateur's pacing seems a bit slow, and a few shots seem superfluously self-conscious, but more often than not Hartley's departures from normal cinematic representation work. His use of jump cuts, edited to the rhythms of the dialogue, is particularly effective. With Amateur, Hartley builds upon the vein that Kauffmann has identified, significantly developing his intriguing technique.

-- Jesse Garon