Love and Death on Long Island Review
by "Nathaniel R. Atcheson" (nate AT pyramid DOT net)May 1st, 1998
Love and Death on Long Island (1998)
Director: Richard Kwietniowski
Cast: John Hurt, Jason Priestley, Fiona Loewi, Sheila Hancock, Maury Chaykin
Screenplay: Richard Kwietniowski
Producers: Steve Clark-Hall, Christopher Zimmer
Runtime: 103 min.
US Distribution: Cinepix
Rated PG-13: brief strong language, sex, thematic elements
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson ([email protected])
I think many will miss the point of Love and Death on Long Island. I do not say this condescendingly; I say this because I think that, in order to completely understand what the characters do in this film, you almost have to have been there yourself at some point in your life. And I'm not sure that everyone has the capacity to do what the main character, Giles De'Ath, does here. If you watch carefully, though, and digest all that the picture has to offer, perhaps you'll find yourself understanding something that you might not have even considered before.
Love and Death is a beautiful, touching film--intelligently funny, perfectly acted, and absolutely realistic in every sense of the word. It had me deeply interested from the very beginning, and it's the kind of film that manages to surprise you with realism and character development. This is also the kind of film that engages themes and ideas in such a complete way that you'll be discussing and thinking about the film long after it's over.
John Hurt, in what is perhaps the best performance of his lengthy and distinguished career, plays aging British writer Giles De'Ath. He's one of those detached artists who refuses to acknowledge anything that has to do with progress and technology; consequently, he doesn't know the difference between a microwave and a VCR. One day, after locking himself out of his house, Giles decides to take shelter in a movie theater, where he thinks he's going to see a film based on an E.M. Foster novel. He stumbles into the wrong theater, and is subjected to Hotpants College II, a puerile film that obviously doesn't interest him.
Just as he's getting up to leave, he sees an actor that catches his eye; his name is Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestly). Giles instantly develops a fixation on the young man. He buys magazines intended for teenage girls to find pictures of and articles about him, which he organizes into a a scrapbook. He buys a television and a VCR just so he can rent all of Ronnie's films. Giles even dreams about him at night, fantasizing that he's a participant on a game show that asks questions specifically about Ronnie Bostock.
After he's had enough of this, Giles finally heads overseas to Long Island. Through a series of actions that come dangerously close to stalking, he finally meets Ronnie's fiancée, Audrey (Fiona Loewi). Audrey is fascinated with Giles, and invites him to meet Ronnie. When Giles and Ronnie finally meet, Giles explains his belief that Ronnie has rare talent, and that he has a screenplay in mind for which Ronnie would be perfect.
Even on the surface, there's nothing familiar or tired about Love and Death on Long Island. Written and directed by Richard Kwietniowski (based on the novel by Gilbert Adair), the film is packed with of details and intelligent subtleties. Kwietniowski is clearly a man who has been in a position similar to Giles', and his understanding of what Giles feels is key to the success of this film. At first, Giles understands his obsession is ridiculous: he's terribly concerned that people may see him pick up a copy of Sugar at the magazine rack; when he goes to see Ronnie's film over and over again, he can't even bring himself to say the name of the picture.
But Giles' burst of emotions near the end of the film is not the slightest bit difficult to accept or understand: here is a man who has been married for almost his entire life, and, suddenly, he has inexplicable feelings towards a man of less than half his age. Hurt's performance here is dignified and extremely moving; he brings grace and incredible comic timing to each of his scenes. He delivers his clever dialogue the way only a pro can manage. He ornaments the performance with physical and verbal nuances that help to create the round and fascinating character that Giles is.
Priestly also gives a great performance as the disgruntled actor; he manages to satirize his own previous Beverly Hills, 90210 image in playing a teen idol who stars in second-rate films, including Tex Mex and Skid Marks (which gets its title from this line of dialogue: "You're the skid marks on the underpants of life!").
The film is profoundly funny in its dry, British way. When a diner owner (Maury Chaykin) finds out that Giles is from London, he wonders if Giles has ever run into a guy named Stan Brickowski. A line like this is initially funny because of its obvious absurdity; when you think about it, though, you realize that you, too, have probably asked someone from a different region if they know someone that you know from that particular region, even though the chances of it are essentially non-existent. It takes clear insight into the minds of people to be able to make jokes out of this kind of material.
But what sends Love and Death beyond the threshold of greatness is its themes. This is a film that recognizes the true, uncontrollable chaos of love. It realizes that love makes no sense, and that it can occur between any two people. It ignores social trappings and gender stereotypes, and deals with Giles in such a way that we can understand him despite the uniqueness of his situation. This film is so deeply successful in illustrating its themes that it's impossible to walk away from the picture without carrying new insight into the varied dynamics that human relationships often have.
There are some standard genres of comedy into which Love and Death would easily fit -- the film is so potent and intelligent as a comedy that one could ignore its themes and enjoy it simply for the entertainment it provides. But this is a film that does so much more than entertains: it clearly illustrates a part of human nature that a vast majority of the world ignores entirely. It takes genius to realize such a theme and create a funny and moving film to put forth the ideas. Love and Death on Long Island is a wonderful film that everyone should see and take seriously down to its most subtle detail.
**** out of ****
(9/10, A)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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