The Discontents (2004)

User Rating:

2.5/10   

Director:

Andrew Jackson

Writers:

Paul Hutko (writer)
Andrew Jackson (writer)

Release Date:

June 2004 (USA)

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Andrew Jackson	...	Matt Walker
Deva Dalporto	...	Zoe Armstrong (as Deva Nicole)
David Lee Russek	...	Nick Finn
Perry King	...	John Walker
Amy Madigan	...	Beth Walker
Kate Connor	...	Simone Montenale
Jane Owen	...	Party Guest
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jay Burnley	...	Newspaper Guy
Paul Darrigo	...	Beat Cop
Lance J. Holt	...	Beat Cop
Josh Kayne	...	Boy Scout
Matthew McCullough	...	Party Guy
Jamie Wheatley	...	Tony
Christina Wickers	...	Goth Chick
Emmanuel Xuereb

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Content

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Caught a great indie flick last night at the Silverlake Film Festival called "The Discontents." The Arclight screening was about 3/4 full, and had a receptive crowd that laughed throughout and stuck around for the Q & A afterward.

The plot is clearly influenced by "Annie Hall", though it also reminded me strongly of "The Puffy Chair", a Cassavettes nominee for this year's Spirit Awards. It's a stay-up-all-night talky; the kind studios used to make and call Character-Based.

As told through flashbacks and Kerouac-style voice over, main character Matt (filmmaker Andrew Jackson) meets his soul mate the same day his dad arrives in LA to sell a pilot he's mortgaged everything to produce. Things go well with the girl until Matt actually wins her away from her longterm boyfriend. Then he decides he doesn't want to be trapped in a monogamous relationship. The drama of all this keeps Matt from seeing his dad's depression as his sitcom is rejected, which leads to his suicide (a death we knew was coming from the touching opening scene).

Numb and traumatized by the death he feels he should have prevented, Matt launches into saving his best friend from addiction, and winning back the heart of the girl he dumped, who has moved on and is engaged to someone else.

In the Q & A after, filmmaker Andrew Jackson said the plot was autobiographical, and it shows. There are some extremely funny and painful moments in the film, and all of it rings with truth. The insights into the modern male's dating mind have the authenticity of "Old School" and "40 Year Old Virgin". Broadly appealing to both commitment-phobe guys and the recklessly-romantic girls who date them anyway, "The Discontents" could have a long, cult-like DVD life.

Unfortunately the filmmaker ran out of money and edited it himself, which shows in the quality of the sound. And a ten minute trim by a professional editor would make the film twice as good.

The men in the audience were completely in love with Deva Nicole, the natural beauty who stars as Matt's soul mate. Perry King and Amy Madigan star as Matt's parents, and are both pros in the roles.

Filmmaker Andrew Jackson was surprisingly effective and natural starring as Matt, appealing to all four quadrants as the guy ladies want to date and men want as a friend. Jackson says he pulled off the feat of acting while simultaneously directing and producing his first film by relying heavily on a great DP he could trust, Adam Janeiro. Natural light was used throughout most of the scenes, and many were stolen locations in true guerrilla indie fashion.

The most interesting part is that Andrew Jackson's father really killed himself, and really taught film school at a Midwestern college that never updated its life insurance policy to exclude suicide. So Jackson used the money from the policy to fund this very personal film.