Film No. 65 (2023) August 26th. 11:00 AM LUNA LEEDERVILLE, Cine 1, Leederville.
"We know that there are things that happen that we cannot explain." (Profound words indeed from the voice over introducing, BIOSPHERE).
I do look forward to each new project involving The Duplass Brothers Production house (YOUR SISTER'S SISTER, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED). They are all about introducing new cinematic concepts to storytelling. BIOSPHERE does not fail in this area, but this time, Mark (co-writer) in particular, brings more serious themes to the Duplass "wheelhouse". I'm not sure they hit the right notes for me here. But I am still thinking about it.
Let me say, this is not a negative review of BIOSPHERE. I'm glad I saw it but I'm suffering a classic case of being "over trailered". I must have seen the shorts ten times. I'd built up my hopes for a light, entertaining 85 minutes of a dystopian world where a couple of buddies involve themselves in pastimes, maintaining their survival, while figuring out what's next in a world where they are the only ones left. That's all down to me and preconceived notions, I know. BIOSPHERE is some of that, but a whole lot more. The underlying theme of procreation and sustaining a future for mankind is less slapstick and more of a concept to be taken very seriously.
Billy (Mark Duplass) and Ray (Sterling K Brown) are indeed close buddies but their reason for being the only souls surviving and left with life's ultimate responsibilities are scripted tightly and revealed in the first 15 minutes. The democratic mind of Duplass and his writers leaves its mark when one thinks about U.S. presidents in recent times. So what comes next, and is never alluded to in a trailer, is unexpected, thought provoking and partially entertaining. The biosphere our "buddies" occupy forms the set for 105 mins. Here is another cinematic, theatre piece, a two hander that needs a meaty script, a pair of strong performances and a thought provoking ending.
BIOSPHERE has all of this. I just couldn't quite get on it's page. But a Duplass brothers devotee won't be missing this. 8GUMS.
No comments:
Post a Comment