Wednesday, July 29, 2015

FANTASIA: COP CAR with Kevin Bacon gets a second screening 05.08.2015

At the press conference July 28th 2015, from left to right: Tony TimponeJon Watts & Kevin Bacon
Photo © Lena Ghio 2015

After the screening of the movie COP CAR I was so stunned by the simplicity and totally unprecedented situations emerging in the story line that I was afraid of giving a critique that would spoil the surprise for the viewer. I even told my dilemma to the writer and director of the movie JON WATTS who responded by clicking his tongue and saying: "Its simple, two little boys find a cop car! Its a blend between Night of the Hunter with ROBERT MITCHUM and the COEN brother's Fargo." But that doesn't quite do it either. I kept listening. Jon Watts was asked about his inspiration for the script. "When I was a kid I had this recurring dream that I was driving this car. Sometimes my friend was in it sometimes I was alone, driving." His face was illuminated by an amused smile as he shared this with us. And I realized that there was an element of the film that reminded me of dreaming, not the absurdity of dreams, but the way dreams can tell us a complete story with only limited visual features.

Then KEVIN BACON was asked how he prepared for the role and this made me understand what I was trying to say. The journalist asked: "How did you prepare for a role where for the first 18 minutes you have no dialogue and are alone on the screen?" What a brilliant question!

"I got to think of this man who held a solid position in his community, a man who was electable as Sheriff so he must have had social skills, who somehow managed to make some seriously bad decisions. When he finds out his car is missing he is terrified of being found out. His desperation grows the more elusive the boys and the cop car become." His comments about his character made me view his performance in a whole new light.

I hope you will be as surprised by the unexpected plot twists as I was!

-LENA GHIO


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