There are a lot of different words that you could use to describe Richard Kelly's Sci-fi epic Southland Tales. I'm going to use, confusing. First of all the movie itself is only the second half of the story. The first half is chronicled in three graphic novels. I had seen the movie before so i had a bit of an understanding of the story all ready but i still had a lot of questions about it.
The graphic novels did answer several of those questions including why Justin Timberlake gets high and sings "All the Things That I've Done" by the killers in the middle of the film. It also gave me a better understanding of what happened to Boxer Santaros in the desert and explained a little bit more in detail what exactly Roland Taverner is doing in the film. It did not help me understand the ending anymore, and please if somebody does understand, I would like to know.
That being said, I still enjoy this film, and I know that of am of a very small group of people that do. There is just something to be said about tackling a project this epic and absurd. I still think that Richard Kelly is a very talented director he just needs to find his rhythm, I loved Donnie Darko and I look forward to seeing The Box.
What really blew me away about the film though, was the acting. How did Kelly get such great performances from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sean William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Justin Timberlake and half of the Saturday Night Live cast? Johnson is very good as Boxer Santaros, an athlete who is injured and then becomes a movie star, and Scott is great as Roland Taverner. Both actors are playing people who have lost their memory in the film and the little things they do in their performances really add to their confusion, plus i really liked Johnson's hand twitch. Timberlake was great as Pilot Abilene a wounded soldier of the Iraq war with a serious drug addiction to a new drug called fluid Karma. Gellar is good but her character is lacking a little bit in the film, she is one of the main parts of the novels. The SNL crew are a bit over the top but it suits their neo-marxist characters and Lou Taylor Pucci wasn't the greatest, though it may have just been his character.
I don't really know how to describe the story without giving things away about it. If i had to give a description though i guess I would say that it's a chronicle of the last 3 days on earth in an alternative future. In the story 2 nuclear bombs detonate in Texas on July 4th, 2005. So the setting for the film is a modern day 2008, but everything is different as a result of the terrorist attack. The story follow Boxer Santaros as he is found in the desert with no memory and Roland Taverner who also has no memory together they search for what is really going on and bring about the destruction of the world, I think.
The ending to the film leaves me with several questions including what really happens. It's great to see the story come together, there are several minuscule characters in the novels and early int he film that lead up to more important parts later on, including Justin Timberlake's character Pilot Abilene. There are still pieces that i haven't figured out yet though and it's a little bit disappointing but it doesn't detract too much from the film. I can't really say I would recommend this film to many people because it's not for everyone it's definitely a niche market. If you like Sci-Fi stories and are ready to commit to an entirely new world then go for it. I recommend reading the novels before hand though.
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