Robert Altman is a master of the
intersection. The topic of lives
tangentially but powerfully interconnected is one which has busied him in many of his projects, including
The Player and the most recent (and wonderful)
Gosford Park, but nowhere is it more perfectly realised than in this 3 hour long reel of seemingly random
episodes in the existances of over 20 people over a period of no more than two days.
Based on a collection of short stories by Raymond Carver, the script assembles an array of characters who are all connected to each other, knowingly or unknowingly, emotionally or pragmatically, deliberately or by chance. The characters are as diverse as the life of a major city can allow them to be: a party clown, a painter, a homemaker, a diner waitress, a cop, a makeup artist, a young mother operating a sex line from her domestic telephone, a pool cleaner and many more. All these people have in common is that they live in Los Angeles, and all of them are either affected by or a are at least aware of two things: an overhead spraying operation against a Medfly infestation, and an earthquake.
On this impluasibly vast canvas Altman (who wrote as well as directed) paints a complex and detailed, gentle and poignant picture of life as it exists, less in the realm of the individual and more in the realm of the relationship. Coincidences, chance occurences, brief encounters and acquaintances act and interact in an ever shifting, plotless miasma of consequence. For this is the most delicate of all the master strokes in this movie - every seemigly random, unimportant action or observation has a consequence. More awe inspiring still is the fact that having watched the movie through, one is left not with a feeling of abrupt info clips, but with a prevasive and powerful impression of the interconnectedness and interdependance of all things.
It's always hard to talk about Altman, though people often try. Of all his films that I've seen this is the hardest one to explain, to relay an impression of. Upon leaving the theatre one can't help but feel that the plotline of the film was told not throuh the normal media of picture and dialogue, but through some kind of non verbal interaction between you as the viewer and the characters in the movie, as well as the city itself, in their roles as viweres of the other characters in their turns. If this sounds bizarre and unsettling, it is. And this is no easy movie - death, lies, betrayals are everpresent. Still, when all is said and done this is a feel-good movie - maybe because on that other, new and strange level of communication, Altman actually manages to say something which transcends the actions and words of his character as they appear on screen.
A final word on craftsmanship. I don't know what it is that Altman has that gets such devinely perfect preformances from his actors, but something there is - not one false note, not a single jarring tone are evident anywhere in the cast. Although visually not a spectacular movie, nevertheless the visual texts it presents are rich and influential, in many cases contribuing a visual context which goes a long way towards reinforcing the other relationships. The dialogue is as diverse and everchanging as the cast of characters, and the sense of place and cultural unity is a powerful tool in bringing so many different lives into one thematic fold.
Directed by Robert Altman, released in 1993. Written by Robert Altman and Frank Barhydt on a basis of short stories by Raymond Carver. Partial cast list:
Andie MacDowell - Ann Finnigan
Bruce Davison - Howard Finnigan
Jack Lemmon - Paul Finnigan
Julianne Moore - Marian Wyman
Matthew Modine - Dr. Ralph Wyman
Anne Archer - Claire Kane
Fred Ward - Stuart Kane
Jennifer Jason Leigh - Lois Kaiser
Chris Penn - Jerry Kaiser
Joseph C. Hopkins - Joe Kaiser
Josette Maccario - Josette Kaiser
Lili Taylor - Honey Bush
Robert Downey Jr. - Bill Bush
Madeleine Stowe - Sherri Shepard
Tim Robbins - Gene Shepard
Lily Tomlin - Doreen Piggot
Tom Waits - Earl Piggot
Frances McDormand - Betty Weathers
Peter Gallagher - Stormy Weathers
Jarrett Lennon - Chad Weathers
Annie Ross - Tess Trainer
Lori Singer - Zoe Trainer
Lyle Lovett - Andy Bitkower