Film Essay on ACTRESS by Robert Greene (USA, 2014)
Two years ago, at various world documentary festivals
from Sundance to CPH:DOX and ZagrebDox, "The Queen of Versailles" by
Laureen Greenfield was screened. It was a documentary about a wealthy couple who
in their hedonistic delight started to build a grand castle just like the royal
one near Paris, at a site in Florida.
Greenfield's persistent film crew followed the pair for a
whole year, documenting their rise and tumble, the complete ruin of the entire
Empire, as well as the replica of Versailles, until the final scene (priceless
and unforgettable) which is centered on one outraged housewife wandering
through the big house full of dog's shit and the stench of leftovers.
Eventually everybody left her, servants and friends, same
as they came – in a herd, hungry for prey, which wasn't even there any more.
Well, let's leave the queen of Versailles to suffer
glorious days by herself and take a look at another persistent film crew of one
recently-made documentary.
The crew are, again, individuals with clear sight, strong
nerves, and unbreakable temperament, following some other people's story. They
document (witness) facts imposed by reality, as lived by the majority of us.
This characteristic is usually used as a guarantee for
success in the artistic world, in the film industry and in life as well. But, that's not the subject here. The subject
is Brandy Burre!
Have you heard of Brandy Burre? She's an actress.
Actually, she was known by roles in the TV series "The Wire" and in minor
episodes in Hollywood productions. Then,
she got pregnant and finished her career at HBO Television, gave birth to one
child, then another, and became lonely, a bit like a desperate housewife.
But, that's not certain at all. Is she really an actress, or is she just
acting as one? For sure – she's
wandering through life, having her private life in one hand and her business
life in the other. She's rumbling, tottering into drunkeness, always followed by a persistent and steady camera man, director
and editor Robert Greene, just like her third kid – the quiet one, who is always
there, close to mother's skirt.
But later, in the editing room, he will wisely and
patiently put together the whole story about one tired woman in her late 30's
who is acting in front of every camera, his and even the hidden, imagined one.
Does she really act or...?
No, she doesn't. She lives her life, or? It's maybe one
big melodrama of permanent falling down and arising, the short moment of
happiness after a long period of fallacy. Or it's not even that, but if it's
not, then what is it? Then, maybe she's an accidental passer-by at the local
railway station.
Yes, that's who she is. And when you look at Brandy
Burre, it's as if you are looking at a passer-by. She's lost in her worries and thoughts and you
see her staring through the window of a train wagon. You feel sorry for her,
then talk to her, and get another sad story through short laughs, a few
hidden tears in her beautiful eyes, as she turns to the window, to that dark
mirror and the night.
What's done is done, when all your friends leave you,
there's always an accidental passer-by waiting for you to help, who knows...
A well-known film critic wrote for "Indiwire"
after TRUE/FALSE (Festival in Missouri) premiere that this film is "Sunset
Boulevard" of modern time, thinking about Billy Wilder's glorious 1950
film and the magnificent tragedy of the silent film diva Norma Desmond.
And he was right, because there's the fact that in the last
six decades one needs less talent, as well as money, for making a film. It's just that the sunset on the boulevard of
life stays the same - sad and foggy.
So, remember, when you're stepping into the
fast train that stops briefly at the station, you're carrying all that foggy
sunset with you. And then you'll rush into the night together, with the
passer-by, the sunset, Brandy and you, when the audience sighs quietly and the lights
in the theater come on slowly.
About the author
First feature film by Robert Greene "Owning the
Weather" from 2009 was presented at UN Conference. Two years later he shot
"Kathi..." and later, "Fake It So Real", a documentary
about a local wrestling club. This one was listed by Robert Brody from the New
Yorker among the 15 best films of 2012.
His last feature film "Actress" will be
premiered in Europe this autumn. Robert writes film essays about documentaries
for Sight & Sound, Filmmaker Magazine, Hammer to Nail, and Nonfics. His book Present
Tense will be published in 2015.
More about the film at www.actressfilm.com
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