Poster for Four Roses
Every so often, a film that is truly unique and a step forward in the art form will come to Tucson, and this Friday at The Screening Room in downtown on Congress, The Arizona Underground Features Selection program, presented by AUFF director David Pike, will show the Arizona premiere of the provocative new film Four Roses, written and directed by Kris De Meester. Four Roses, according to its webpage, is “A story of 12 individuals in a hotel one hot summer evening. Four Roses is a provocative, black and white drama exploring themes of isolation, love, and being”. Black and white films rock and not enough are made these days unfortunately because they really separate the great cinematographers from the average ones. Another great black and white film that recently came forth is Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro. You can find a review of that film by this space here.
Four Roses is a film that holds a quote by Henry David Thoreau close to its artistic purpose which says “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.” Encompassing the cast of twelve are a man with a hooker, a stand up comedian being interview by a Belgian journalist who, the comedian claims does not understand him, so he brings his ex-wife into the fold, two Brazilian lovers, three John’s who are prepping for a crime, two lovers in the grips of a sexual identity crisis, and a couple who has been married for fifty years. Seriously, this is a lot to deal with in a film and man this space is ready to take this film in.
In searching for information on this film, this space came upon a quote from De Meester in reference to the open sexuality and nudity in the film, from a Q and A at The European Independent Film Festival by Anna J. Takayama. The writer/director says, “I must confess that most actors didn’t get to see the script up front. I gave them an idea of what we were going to shoot, but handed the lines and all the details of the script on the set. It gave it all a certain forced reality… the thing I was looking for”. This direct, concise, but thorough answer makes it much more enticing to see the film, as the person most responsible for the film, writer/director De Meester, had a clear vision that they were able to execute. That is a recipe for success in the independent film world and seeing this film looks to be imperative.
You can find more information on Four Roses, the Arizona Underground Features Selection program, David Pike, and The Screening Room below. Once again, bear in mind, the only possible way to see this film currently if you are in Tucson is to head to The Screening Room on Friday night. This writer will be there and hopefully many of you will be as well.
For more info:
The Screening Room
Arizona Underground Features Selection Program
Arizona Underground Film Festival
Complete coverage of Arizona Underground Film Festival and its programs
Review of David Pike's film Red Door
Four Roses website
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