"On a business trip to New Orleans, a damaged man seeks salvation by
caring for a wayward young woman." (imdb.com)Viewed on DVD, 17 February 2011
Being a New Orleans resident and a film nut, I really like knowing what's going on in my backyard when it comes to movie production. When the local paper was plastered for months on end with huge pictures and articles about this film, I was truly interested. Yeah, the little plot summary that I dug up was rather disturbing; however I also heard that it wasn't what one would expect from that kind of story. So, when a friend suggested watching this film one night, I was wary but agreed.
What I got was a good story with great character development, a mouthful of swear words, and a moral that was...well, rather depressing.
On the whole, this film begins on the right foot: A middle-aged couple is wracked with grief over the untimely and tragic death of their daughter eight years ago. They live in a fog of seclusion and pain, so much so that the wife (Lois) hasn't set foot outside of the house since their daughter's death. The husband (Doug) has a long affair with a waitress from a local diner; but when she dies of a heart attack he just looks for a way out of town. He finds it in a conference in New Orleans...somehow he winds up in a strip club and meets Mallory, a teenage prostitute who has problems but eerily reminds him of his deceased daughter. He decides to stay and take care of the reluctant runaway; Lois decides to drive their car down to the Big Easy to "rescue" her husband and restore her marriage.
All in all this is a heartbreaking story about some lost, LOST people who are wandering around life, trying to find a meaning and purpose in it all. It's obvious that Doug believes he has a newfound purpose when he starts taking care of Mallory; his entire countenance lifts and he's bright-eyed, facing the world. Mallory is distrustful, frightened, and doesn't know what to make of the kind-hearted Hoosier. Lois is...well, Lois is pretty pathetic, living in a world of pain and blaming herself for her daughter's demise.
This is the epitome of "Indie flick": It only opened in 10 screens and only grossed about $153,000. It's profane, lewd, painful, dramatic, wandering, and powerful.
NEGATIVES:
>>Profanity: Ohhhhh boy. Let's just say that this is the most profanity-laden film I've seen in quite some time. (After a while I just stopped listening to Mallory.) Nearly every word out of Mallory's mouth is an F-word; the other characters say obscene words and fill almost every conversation with profanities. (PluggedIn did not review this film, thus I don't have a reliable word count.) I would guess that there are over 150 profanities in this film, including nasty names and slang words for female anatomy.
>>Violence: Not much past a good slap in the face and Mallory's temper-ridden outbursts. Mallory gets in a fight with a "client" and wants to get revenge.
>>Spiritual content: God's Name is abused numerous times; other than that there's not much as far as spirituality goes. Maybe an angry slur directed heavenwards a few times, but not much else.
>>Alcohol and Drugs: Almost constantly there is an alcoholic drink being consumed or a cigarette being smoked. There is an omnipresent sense of drunkenness; Coors should be listed as a supporting character. Marijuana gets smoked at least once. When I say "chain smoker" to describe Doug, I mean that in the truest sense; I think he spent 75% of the movie with a cigarette clenched in his teeth.
>>Sexual content: Mallory spends most of the film in various stages of undress, including but not limited to bare behind, only barely covered cleavage (or, what little she has), and completely nude (we see her from behind). She's a prostitute and completely unashamed of her trade. Sex is also a constant presence. Doug's affair with the waitress is obvious but we only see them under the sheets after the act. The scene in the strip club where Mallory pitches her "merchandise" to Doug is really, really uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, this film is filthy with a reason. The purpose is to showcase how depraved, pathetic, and lost these people are, and it does a darn good job of it. I felt heavy, sick, and completely saddened for the sake of these characters--but what made me even more sad was the knowledge that there are people in our world, in our city, that are exactly like Mallory, Doug, and Lois. There are people everywhere who need a friend, who need someone to help them up on their feet, someone they can trust...people who need a Savior. It's blatantly obvious to me that these characters are sad and searching for true meaning in their lives.
This film quite honestly is now on my "Don't Watch Again" list. It's not a true trophy for New Orleans filmmaking, and it's not worth wading through all the muck and mire--even though some of it is true and realistic. I may not like profanity, but it has a purpose here, even though it's gross and unwanted.
2 out of 6 stars
So that everyone (including myself) may benefit from it, please feel free to leave your own personal opinion of this film.
Plugged In did not review this film.
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