“CHRONICLE”
Story by Max Landis and Josh Trank
Screenplay Written by Max Landis
Directed by Josh Trank
***1/2 (three and a half stars)
Since you’ve all seen “The Avengers,” now, it’s time to
check out what could be its dark underbelly.
While there is no way to know with any absolute certainty
and based upon just this film, I do have a strong feeling that the name Josh
Trank is one we may be hearing from in the film world. A lot! Dear readers, I
make this statement because I feel that it is rare to see a film directorial
debut as sure-footed, conceptually strong, visually striking and as entirely
impressive as this one.
“Chronicle,” the first feature from filmmaker Josh Trank is
all of those aforementioned qualities and so much more as he and screenwriter
Max Landis have fashioned an instantly involving tale that remarkably combines
four different genres-- the science fiction thriller, an intimate family drama,
a teen comedy and the superhero origin story--into a vibrantly resonant whole.
“Chronicle” was released very quietly in theaters during the usually
cinematically dry month of February and it became a surprise smash hit. Now,
that “Chronicle” has been released on DVD ,
now is your chance to see what the rumblings have been about and I am here to
tell you that this is a movie risk that you will definitely want to take.
As “Chronicle” opens, we are introduced to Andrew Detmer (a
gripping Dane DeHaan) who has purchased for himself a video camera and has
begun the task of documenting every moment of his sad life, which the audience
views entirely through the camera eye. While Andrew’s Mother (Bo Peterson) is
slowly dying of cancer, Andrew is a victim of abuse by his alcoholic Father
(Michael Kelly), a firefighter, currently unemployed and collecting disability due
to an injury. At school, life is not any better as Andrew is a constant target
for bullying and aside from his cousin Matt (Alex Russell), he has no friends
to speak of.
One afternoon, Matt invites Andrew to accompany him to a
rave party, with the hopes that Andrew could possibly meet people, gain friends
and perhaps even a girlfriend. Andrew reluctantly agrees and true to form, he
brings along with camera, which angers some party goers to the point where
Andrew is ejected. While he sits tearfully despondent outdoors, Andrew is soon
approached by the very popular Senior, and Student Body president candidate,
Steven (an excellent Michael B. Jordan). Steven excitedly requests Andrew’s
presence to join himself and Matt at a nearby location in the woods and to
definitely bring his camera.
The threesome discover a giant hole in the ground, which is
emitting strange loud sounds and crackles. They descend into the hole and soon
discover a bizarre, giant object that shines a sinisterly luminous blue glow.
As Steven approaches and touches the object, the sounds begins to grow louder,
the object begins to change color from blue to red and as the boys all
experience profound nose bleeds, Andrew’s camera cuts to black.
When the camera’s eye reopens, the three boys are transformed.
With no reasonable explanations as to how or why, all three have gained the
power of telekinesis. At first, we witness Andrew, Matt and Steven engage in
“Jackass” styled hijinks with each other as well as hidden pranks in public.
And soon, they discover that they have each gained the ability to fly!
Yet hubris begins to overtake the troubled Andrew,
especially as his home and inner life grows more dire. A moment of road rage
becomes deadly. His desperate moves to save his Mother’s life become
devastating. And his friendships grow increasingly fractured and ultimately,
tragic.
Josh Trank’s “Chronicle” was a true cinematic surprise that
had me involved from the very first frame to its stirring final image. It felt
obvious to me that I was in the directorial hands of someone who truly and
seriously thought out every image of his film carefully and artfully, ensuring
that a supreme visual, and therefore, emotional experience was to be gained. I
loved how he and Landis were able to merge the ordinary and everyday and make
the fantastical arrive with such awe and heft that the very familiar movie images
of flight, levitation and epic cataclysm felt wholly fresh again.
The film’s special effects are truly special as they felt to
be so photo realistic, possibly the very best of its kind that I have seen
since the extraordinary work displayed in Director Neill Blomkamp’s incredible “District
9” (2009). Trank has shown that while he may not hold the $200 million dollar
budgets of many fantasy films made these days, he has schooled them all by showing
how to take a comparatively meager budget and spin gold. Trank and his team
have exhibited a level of creativity, skill and showmanship that should be a
lesson to all budding filmmakers as well as established filmmakers who have
grown jaded. Trunk’s vision is clear eyed and vibrantly executed and I
appreciated how he was able to utilize small means to create something grand.
While the concept of creating a film, which is told entirely
through the characters’ “found footage” is not remotely new, Trank again found
a way to make the technique feel fresh and unique. As with Director’s Daniel
Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez’s” The Blair Witch Project” (1999), which
essentially created something from absolutely nothing, the found footage serves
the same purpose but thankfully, the dreaded shaky cam does not make much of an
appearance! On the contrary, the cinematography of “Chronicle” is fluid, smooth
and at times quite elegant as Andrew spends much of the film levitating and
manipulating his camera artfully as if he is creating the movie of his life
starring himself except that it is really happening.
More importantly, I think that Trank has conceptually tapped
into a cultural critique that is not far removed from Director David Fincher’s “The
Social Network” (2010). Very cleverly, Trank explores and questions how our 21st
century over-reliance on technology in regards to documenting oneself as well
as publicly over-sharing has increased especially at the expense of relating to
other people face-to-face and soul-to-soul. Throughout the film, Steven and the
once very reluctant Matt each take turns filming their exploits and adventures.
Additionally, there is another character, a Senior student named Casey (Ashley
Hinsaw), who writes her own blog and is also often seen with her own camera.
Yet, the most crucial relationship is between Andrew and the
camera. One character remarks to him that it is as if he is using the camera as
a “barrier,” to which he replies, “Maybe I want a barrier.” In Andrew’s
miserable world, it all makes sense as the camera is a protective shield for
him as well as an ever present yet completely silent and entirely
non-judgmental confidant. The camera never talks back, disappoints, or
criticizes. It is all accepting no matter what you bring to it. Unfortunately,
in the case of Andrew, despite his understandable pain and torment, this all
acceptance ends up doing nothing but serves to fuel his building sense of
undisciplined hubris and ultimate megalomania, which is beautifully acted via a
richly layered performance by Dane DeHaan. But, a bit more on him later…
In many ways, “Chronicle” reminded me of the very best
elements of television’s “Heroes” series from Tim Kring and even moreso of M.
Night Shyamalan’s finest film, the grim superhero origin tale, “Unbreakable”
(2000) as they each featured ordinary, everyday people suddenly blessed or
cursed with supernatural abilities. Trank and Landis performed an excellent job
of making all three of the teenage characters realistic, relatable and
multifaceted and all three young actors gave rich performances to boot. As
Steven, Michael B. Jordan (from the first season of HBO’s “The Wire” and Director Anthony
Hemingway and George Lucas’ “Red Tails”) brought warmth, humor and style to a
role that could have easily been nothing more than the bland popular kid. There
is a slyness and effortless ease to his line readings that feel completely
natural. It is as if his lines of dialogue were his actual words he spoke on
the set on the day of filming. His friendship with the troubled Andrew provides
the film with a tentative bittersweetness as if we all know that this is a
relationship that cannot last for very long.
As the equally sensitive Matt, Alex Russell does a fine job
as he provides his own subtle transformation as a purposefully introverted and
somewhat exclusionary high school Senior with a penchant for exploring existential
philosophy into one who eventually embraces a more public role, especially when
the safety of others becomes threatened.
But the film’s major focus rests with Andrew and Dane DeHaan
(who gave a blistering performance on one season of HBO’s “In Treatment”
series) elicits a performance that begins as implosive, rockets towards
explosive and is fully compassionate and darkly intense throughout. What is the
odyssey of Andrew Detmer other than an especially grim version of Peter
Parker’s transformation into Spider Man? Yet unlike that adage of Director Sam Raimi’s three adaptations
of the web slinger: “With great power comes great responsibility,” that
sentiment grows increasingly meaningless, especially for a teenager in the
throes of such immense pain. DeHaan makes every single moment from the quiet to
the monumental work successfully as he utilizes tremendous nuance, sympathy, and
unrepentant vengeance, a crucial act to accomplish. On one hand, Andrew longs
to fly to Tibet
So, after all of this enthusiastic praise, why not give this
film four stars? Well, I simply cannot for no other reason than this film did
not send me “over the top.” It is completely subjective but I always know a
four star film when I see one. “Chronicle” comes very close but just misses by
a hair. But, dear readers, I have a strong feeling that Josh Trank will not
only be a cinematic name to remember but that he will be hitting cinematic home
runs very, very soon.
Until that time, I highly recommend "Chronicle," which is more than worthy and fully deserving of your precious time!
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