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News to me: DVD review: The Believer
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He's such a pretty little self-hating Jew.
Many people question their religion and their faith. It's not an uncommon occurrence, especially when that faith has been thrust upon them since childhood. But the idea of a self-hating Nazi Jew seems far-fetched, so someone made a movie about it, and made Ryan Gosling the titular self-hating Jew because it's easier to identify with someone pretty.
In The Believer, Daniel Balint is a Jewish man who has always questioned his religion. He's not so much an intellectual, but an eloquent speaker - a dangerous skill. Using his hatred for his own people and his arsenal of SAT words, he begins meeting with a group of fascists led by Curtis Zampf, played by Billy Zane (yes, this is a serious movie, and no, it wasn't made for TV by Sci-Fi). He impresses Mr. Zampf, his wife Lina, and his jaded step-daughter Carla so much that the couple want him to lead their fascism seminars, but not before Carla sleeps with him.
Daniel's life is so fulfilling: He runs around with a group of Nazis who seemingly act on cavemen instincts. His father is ill and he resents caring for him. Carla is his girlfriend, but she's a masochist and spends all of her time trying to impress him by studying Judaism. Daniel visits a Nazi summer camp where they enjoy target practice, beating each other up, and planning heinous acts none of them would ever commit; unfortunately, Daniel makes friends with the only guy there who would do something heinous - Drake - and it ends up causing some problems for Daniel, especially after he runs his mouth off in a New York Times article.
The Believer is a haphazard film that feels like two people directed it based on a script written by five, with a soundtrack just as easily confusing. None of the music cues feel as if they belong. It's easy to give first-time director Henry Bean a free-pass on some of the poorer choices in cinematogrpahy here - most notably the use of slow motion in the action scenes, which doesn't fit in at all with the film's more intimate aesthetic - but the writing cannot be overlooked. The characters feel underdeveloped, except for Daniel. Carla appears to be an amalgamation of at least two different characters - one who is masochistic and blatant, and one who is needy, deprived, and maternal. For all the supporting characters involved, none of them seem to evolve or come to any sort of conclusion. The New York Times reporter who interviews Daniel pops up from time to time to bring up his Judaism and agitate him further. A great focus might have been to have the reporter tell the story of Daniel. Another idea could be to get rid of the Nazi summer camp completely. It only moves the plot forward in a certain aspect that could've developed between Daniel and his cretin friends. Drake's character is another pointless component. The storyline he brings isn't necessary to the understanding of Daniel's character (once again, something he could've done with his friends), and the conflict that evolves from their brief encounters doesn't escalate to anything. Fun trivia: Henry Bean went on to write Basic Instinct 2 - not surprising.
Still, The Believer has some good to offer. Gosling's performance is outstanding as a character who struggles to love and accept himself, and therefore his people. He walks a line between disgust and sadness, displaying a certain emptiness that's hard not to feel sorry for. The moments when Gosling gives speeches are well-played and thought-provoking. Summer Phoenix does her best with Carla, given the material she had to work with, emulating a certain threadbare honesty. The story itself is interesting, even with the trivial sub-plots.
The Believer (2001)
Rated: R
Genre: Drama
Formats: DVD
Running time: 99 minutes
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Billy Zane
Written by: Henry Bean (screenplay), Henry Bean & Mark Jacobson (story)
Directed by: Henry Bean
You can rent this at Netflix, or buy it at Amazon.
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