project film school

Waking the Dead 12/21/06
dir. Keith Gordon

being that is was the thursday before that holiday some folks celebrate in december - most pfs'ers were out of town...but zara and i represented and got together for a film.

we decided to watch keith gordon's waking the dead : a time-shifting romance that creates and works within a dialogue about the best way to initiate social and political change, by working within the system or by tearing it down.

i think the movie functions successfully on both levels. at first the quick and suppossedly passionate relationship of fielding pierce (billy crudup) and sarah williams (jennifer connelly) is somewhat hard to swallow, as a viewer you question whether you will buy the romance and in turn the film itself, as it hinges on an emotional connection with the characters.

somehow though, the brief visits into fielding's and sarah's life together manage to fairly effortlessly pull us in. scenes of lovemaking are especially effective in establishing the unspoken connection between the two.

politically, fielding and sarah act as foils of each other - while they both dream of changing the world, those dreams take place in very different worlds . sarah, an activist, works with the sanctuary movement, (which also gives us a glimpse to a time when the catholic church represented a commtiment to revolution and helping those in need, as opposed to today's apparent mission of "tradition" and bible devotion) fielding on the other hand, is in law school and wants to be a senator. the film seems to side with sarah and her efforts to break down the system she finds disgusting, but fielding has his fair share of moments that give serious inquiry to the importance of "good people" trying to exert change from within.

crudup and connelly both bring their characters to life effectively : connelly lighting up the screen with each brief visit. crudup, as the central character, remains constant throughout, and shines towards the end when for a mere second he lets his guard down, revealing his sadness, confusion and dissatisfaction with where his life has ended up. watching fielding finally release his demons only to suck them back in moments later is heartbreaking.

in a cinematic world of either/or it is exciting to see a film that allows us the selfishness of spending two hours indulging in a romance but also challenges us at the same time to confront social systems and the ways in which we control our destiny (on both societal and personal levels).