Director: Hal Hartley
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Martin Donovan, Elina Lowensohn, Damian Young
Running Time: 104 Minutes
Certificate: 18
AMATEUR is a 1994 crime thriller by writer/director Hal Hartley. The mid-90s were a time when cinema was oozing cool crime flicks thanks to filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino and crime writers such as Elmore Leonard therefore it would be easy for a film to simply fall between the cracks and become just another forgotten genre entry. There’s no such concern for AMATEUR, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing.
The main thrust of the plot sees a man (Donovan) awaken on a city street with no memory of who he is. He is soon taken in by an ex-nun (Huppert) who now writes erotica for magazines. Right away this story seems to be quirky and familiar enough to take us on an enjoyable and unexpected journey. Unfortunately Hartley has other ideas. The biggest problem here is the script, which aims for an off-beat tone. When trying so hard to feel oddball, it just comes off as needless attempts at being different. This isn’t just some conversations that seem unrelated and build upon characters, its mindless chit-chat that often seems as though it comes from another planet. Like how sometimes it is clear when young/black characters have been written by old/white people, except this is for the entire cast no matter what their sex, age, or race.
It also doesn’t help that the lines are delivered in the most bizarre ways. Sometimes characters are shouting at each other, for no discernible reason. There must be more to the title AMATEUR than meets the eye, because every performance is stilted and would only seem at home in a porno or daytime soap opera. The entire cast just seem uninterested at what they are doing, though it’s clear to see this is a directorial choice as there is some unforgettable talent among the cast.
When an entire cast is made to act so banal and lost, it really does have a negative impact on how far one can actually enjoy the film. The story is fine, and has a number of surprise twists, but who cares when it all just seems so distant? Looking on the bright side, the whole experience feels very abstract and does emulate the confusion that the protagonist must be feeling. You’re left with a vague feeling of how the film should be playing out, but everything seems off and disturbing in a dreamlike fashion.
Hartley is most certainly a maverick with a unique eye for direction and storytelling, but he’s created a very esoteric world in which most audiences will find it hard to engage. Experimental cinema should always be viewed for what it is, but if it fails at keeping the attention of its audience in terms of story or style, then it’s clearly an impenetrable fortress that pushes viewers away, rather than welcoming them in.
AMATEUR is released on DVD on 13th May via Artificial Eye.
