It has been more than twenty years since Gus Van Sant released his first full-length feature film. For a first film, Mala Noche avoids many of the pitfalls other first films usually exhibit. The screenplay is realistic and the camera work is impressive. So, despite its age, the film is still worth a viewing.
Mala Noche is a social realism-inspired drama about the life Walt Curtis. Curtis is a shopkeeper from Portland, Oregon and he falls in love with a Mexican immigrant named Johnny. The film covers Walt's effort to befriend Johnny, his brother Roberto, and his brothers. Walt is never able to sleep with Johnny as he wishes he could, but, ironically, has sex several times with Roberto.
The most striking feature of Mala Noche is the realism of its lead character and the main supporting cast. Walt exhibits the characteristics of a poor young man. He works in a remedial job and lives in a run-down apartment. His attraction to Johnny is not romantic but visceral. His voice-over narration describes his anguish as he fails in seducing Johnny. This adds a provocative flair to Walt's character. It allows us to sympathize with him because he is so frank about his problem that we wish for him to succeed. Similarly, Johnny and Roberto also act appropriately given their roles. Johnny uses his status as an immigrant and his knowledge of Walt's homosexuality to manipulate him into giving away products at his store. Roberto also manipulates Walt, but for sexual purposes. Perhaps the best example of the incredible realism of the film is Roberto's inability to admit to his affair with Walt. I cannot recall another film which portrays a secret homosexual relationship as earnestly as this one does. Most films, including those in support of homosexuality, display it in a sensationalized way. Mala Noche earns marks for originality by showing that homosexuality is just a part of life, even though it isn't public.
For a budget of $25,000, Van Sant has created a well-constructed film. The lighting is from practicals (or appears to be), but this adds to the film's realism. This may interfere with your ability to see the characters, but at least a portion of an actor's face is always visible. There are no special effects beyond the lighting. There are several shots of nature which appear beautiful despite the lack of color. Budget constraints prevented more elaborate effects, and Van Sant probably stretched his stipend out filming the few colored scenes. This doesn't affect the film's quality, and adds appropriateness to it.
All isn't perfect with this debut. With its paltry running time, the film isn't able to develop a real exposition. The first sequence is Walt narrating his attraction to Johnny. This is representative of a larger concern in the film's plot progression: the episodic nature of its events. However realistic it appears to a viewer, he may find it difficult to understand what is happening in subsequent sequences. It warrants another viewing. A noteworthy example is when Johnny temporarily steals Walt's car. We are given no plausible explanation for the specific reason why he wants to confiscate the car at that moment. Again, this is a byproduct of a 78-minute running time and not the direct fault of Van Sant.
Mala Noche has become a cult classic, especially in youth culture. While most cult films are exploitative, Mala Noche has achieved its status for the opposite reason. This is an optimistic film about the possibility of people to interact without bias for country of origin or sexual preference. While the film is highly reflective of the sexual anguish of the young, it is challenging to connect the disjointed sequences into a coherent film. The film has no direction and moves continuously forward like a Magical Realism novel, but lacks the characterization to keep the story afloat. Still, Mala Noche is worth watching for the purposeful lack of chemistry between its protagonist and his love interest. Walt cannot become Johnny's lover regardless of how much emasculating effort he makes. Despite their shared minority classification, they are still able to befriend one another. The film presents a faux relationship between two young men in a non-traditional way, and this makes it an excellent candidate for Netflix.
The newest DVD edition of the film is worth a purchase if you enjoy Van Sant's work. It features an interview with him and a trailer of the film. The subtitles are only sporadically placed when Spanish is spoken, and they remain on screen only briefly.
Mala Noche is a social realism-inspired drama about the life Walt Curtis. Curtis is a shopkeeper from Portland, Oregon and he falls in love with a Mexican immigrant named Johnny. The film covers Walt's effort to befriend Johnny, his brother Roberto, and his brothers. Walt is never able to sleep with Johnny as he wishes he could, but, ironically, has sex several times with Roberto.
The most striking feature of Mala Noche is the realism of its lead character and the main supporting cast. Walt exhibits the characteristics of a poor young man. He works in a remedial job and lives in a run-down apartment. His attraction to Johnny is not romantic but visceral. His voice-over narration describes his anguish as he fails in seducing Johnny. This adds a provocative flair to Walt's character. It allows us to sympathize with him because he is so frank about his problem that we wish for him to succeed. Similarly, Johnny and Roberto also act appropriately given their roles. Johnny uses his status as an immigrant and his knowledge of Walt's homosexuality to manipulate him into giving away products at his store. Roberto also manipulates Walt, but for sexual purposes. Perhaps the best example of the incredible realism of the film is Roberto's inability to admit to his affair with Walt. I cannot recall another film which portrays a secret homosexual relationship as earnestly as this one does. Most films, including those in support of homosexuality, display it in a sensationalized way. Mala Noche earns marks for originality by showing that homosexuality is just a part of life, even though it isn't public.
For a budget of $25,000, Van Sant has created a well-constructed film. The lighting is from practicals (or appears to be), but this adds to the film's realism. This may interfere with your ability to see the characters, but at least a portion of an actor's face is always visible. There are no special effects beyond the lighting. There are several shots of nature which appear beautiful despite the lack of color. Budget constraints prevented more elaborate effects, and Van Sant probably stretched his stipend out filming the few colored scenes. This doesn't affect the film's quality, and adds appropriateness to it.
All isn't perfect with this debut. With its paltry running time, the film isn't able to develop a real exposition. The first sequence is Walt narrating his attraction to Johnny. This is representative of a larger concern in the film's plot progression: the episodic nature of its events. However realistic it appears to a viewer, he may find it difficult to understand what is happening in subsequent sequences. It warrants another viewing. A noteworthy example is when Johnny temporarily steals Walt's car. We are given no plausible explanation for the specific reason why he wants to confiscate the car at that moment. Again, this is a byproduct of a 78-minute running time and not the direct fault of Van Sant.
Mala Noche has become a cult classic, especially in youth culture. While most cult films are exploitative, Mala Noche has achieved its status for the opposite reason. This is an optimistic film about the possibility of people to interact without bias for country of origin or sexual preference. While the film is highly reflective of the sexual anguish of the young, it is challenging to connect the disjointed sequences into a coherent film. The film has no direction and moves continuously forward like a Magical Realism novel, but lacks the characterization to keep the story afloat. Still, Mala Noche is worth watching for the purposeful lack of chemistry between its protagonist and his love interest. Walt cannot become Johnny's lover regardless of how much emasculating effort he makes. Despite their shared minority classification, they are still able to befriend one another. The film presents a faux relationship between two young men in a non-traditional way, and this makes it an excellent candidate for Netflix.
The newest DVD edition of the film is worth a purchase if you enjoy Van Sant's work. It features an interview with him and a trailer of the film. The subtitles are only sporadically placed when Spanish is spoken, and they remain on screen only briefly.