Youth is fleeting, like a firework blast or the fading twilight hour. This sentiment goes double for teenagers – as seen in the new indie film Pavilion – so close to growing up, the innocence and carefree nonchalance of childhood almost gone.
The film follows a laconic teenager (Max) who moves from an idyllic lakeside town to his father's home in arid suburban Arizona. With mesmerizing imagery of hot summer bike rides and cool lake-bound dives, Pavilion captures the ephemerality and reverie of youth and the fragility of adolescent friendships. A heady subject matter no doubt, but the film’s amateur cast is more than up to task.
A minimalist film, Pavilion is moody and understated, more a collection of vignettes rather than a seamless film. Though it focuses on Max, the film moves like a dream between him and other teenaged characters. Perhaps more comprable to an intimate documentary on the day-in-the-life-of-a-teenager rather than a traditional narrative with predetermined beats, each scene offers a glimpse into the aimless life of youth. Free, but free to do what exactly?
For the most part, the characters, and therefore the film, are quiet. The focus is on mood and feelings, rather than dialogue or action, coaxing the audience to remember what it was like to be in that similar situation – that of a lonely teenager. At times, nostalgia like this can be more abstract than specific, more like a feeling rather than a concrete memory. This kind of abstract nostalgia permeates throughout the film.
Filmed largely at dusk, during that so-called “magic hour," the cinematography is at times hazy and unfocused, much like a memory – like someone trying to recall a specific time in their life and only coming up with bits and pieces. This beautiful cinematography (by Chris Dapkin) is really the star of the show. The camera lingers often, and for maybe longer than it should, on prolonged movement or the most mundane tasks. The contrast is stark between the lush, green landscapes of Max’s first home in upstate New York and the dusty, flat streetscapes of suburban Arizona, where he abruptly moves halfway through the film. The photography aptly captures the casual, reflective atmosphere of the film, while the almost always present, ethereal score by Sam Prekop of the Sea and Cake also helps mold the tone and proper ambiance in the background.
The film is not without faults though – mainly it can get a little slow at times, but at a brisk 68 minutes overall, not much time in the film is truly wasted. Pavilion is ambitious and artsy, almost too much so for its own good. With good reason, the film has drawn lots of comparisons to the more low-key, indie work of filmmaker Gus Van Sant.Let’s just say, if you do not like the thoughtful meandering of Van Sant’s Paranoid Park and Elephant or the same from a Terrance Malick film, then you might find yourself lost and at a disconnect with Pavilion as well.
Pavilion is an authentic ode to fleeting youth and the overall nonchalance, awkwardness, and adaptability of it. It is about that kid you knew back in middle school who must have moved away because you do not remember him in high school, but every now and then, you think about that time you and him did such and such together . . . and you look back on that memory with fondness and longing.
Pavilion is the feature film debut of writer-director Tim Sutton.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pavilion is now playing at Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center. The film plays through Thursday, March 28 with screenings at 6:00 p.m. nightly.
So come out to the Zeitgeist (1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. New Orleans) this weekend and take advantage of this unique film-going experience and all the Zeitgeist Arts Center has to offer. And by doing so, help support one the premier alternative arts center in the South.
You can visit the Zeitgeist Multi-disciplinary Arts Center’s website here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you enjoyed this story, please subscribe and read Chris's other articles here: www.examiner.com/indie-movie-in-new-orleans/chris-henson
Follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/thechrishenson
And for all the news & inside scoop on film events happening in & around New Orleans - festivals, screenings, casting, trailers, and much more!
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/NOLA_FilmEvents and “LIKE” us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/NolaFilmEvents
Comments