Two brothers,
Tim (Devon Allen) aged 10 and teenager Chris (Jamie Bell), live
with their father (Dermot Mulroney) in rural Georgia. Tim has some
strange stomach problems, and eats paint and dirt to induce
vomiting, a condition called pica brought on by
malnourishment. Things heat up when Uncle Deel (Josh Lucas) shows
up. Recently out of prison, he harbors resentments against his
brother for marrying his sweetheart and taking part of his
inheritance of Mexican gold coins.
Oddly, his brother
invites him to stay at the farm but resentment soon turns to violence
and murder and the boys, threatened by the wounded uncle, escape on
foot seeking out food and shelter wherever it is available. On the
run, they travel on freight cars and foot, spending time with people
living on the margins: a friendly black couple and some runaway girls
who Chris is drawn to out of loneliness and fear. As Uncle Deel closes
in, the film becomes a character study about the complex relationship
between the brothers.
CRITIQUE
Co-produced by
Terrence Malick, Undertow, the third film by David Gordon
Green, has aspects of a conventional thriller but it bears Green's
unmistakable languid, dreamy style, and is reminiscent of Terrence
Malick's
Badlandsand
Charles Laughton's classic Night of the Hunter. Cinematographer
Tim Orr effectively captures the atmosphere of the poor South with its
abandoned spaces, junkyards, urban rot, and backwoods pig farms. Green
has a feel for the way people talk and the dialogue achieves a rare
naturalism but it is not a film in the neo-realist tradition. It's
lyrical tone puts it in more in the land of Huck Finn and Robinson
Crusoe, territory reserved for myth and poetry.
Jamie Bell, the
English actor who played Billy Elliot, turns in a magnificent
performance as Chris and Josh Lucas is convincing as the uncle, adding
a touch of humanity to his deranged character. First time actor Devon
Allen brings Tim to life with a performance that is full of depth.
Utilizing freeze frames, slow motion, color manipulation, transitional
fades, and a haunting score by Philip Glass, Undertow gradually
builds its low-key tension to a power that becomes riveting. In spite
of some repetitive chase scenes and a few self-conscious moments,
Undertow is highly recommended.
THE VIDEO
The MGM DVD has an
anamorphic ratio of 1.85:1, enhanced for 16x9 TVs with subtitles in
English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. This is a clean, sharp
transfer that enhances the richness of the film's poetry. Using an
abundance of yellow, brown, and red tones, its widescreen format makes
the colors come alive and the southern locations look very authentic.
There are so many images of mud and grime in this film that you may
feel like bathing after it’s over but it looks gorgeous. Aside from
some barely detectable scratches on the print, the overall quality is
excellent. The only drawback is the cover art which cheapens the
effect of a richly elegant film. Undertow is divided into
twenty chapters.
THE AUDIO
Presented in Dolby
Digital format in English DD 5.1, Spanish DD 2.0 and Portuguese DD2.0,
the soundtrack contains a haunting score by Philip Glass. It is
especially effective in creating a feeling of suspense as the boys
flee from their pursuing uncle into the woods and countryside of
southern Georgia. The dialogue is always clear and there is good
stereo separation.
THE EXTRAS
There are some
excellent features that will add to your enjoyment of the film.
Audio Commentary:
The audio commentary consists of a running dialogue between director
Green and the lead actor Jamie Bell and it is clear that they have a
good relationship. It covers a wide range of behind the scenes
information that will mainly be of interest to those who want to know
more about the process of filmmaking. The conversation includes
anecdotal information about the process of casting and finding
locations and some of the films that influenced the making of
Undertow.
We discover that
Jamie received his first onscreen kiss in the film, and that the man
who loaned his car to the filmmakers got into a rage because he
thought it wasn't being handled with enough care and threatened to
"cut all their throats, for real". We also find out that the director
actually doubled for his 17-year-old leading man in the running
scenes. The commentary is informal and fun to listen to and remarkably
it is the first time Bell is seeing the film so you can hear some
audible gasps. Personally, I would have preferred less technical
information and more discussion of what the film is about and the
motivations of the characters.
Behind-the-Scenes
Documentary:
This approximately thirty-minute feature called "Under the Undertow"
has a home video quality to it, lacking the slick gloss of many of
these types of features. It includes some interviews with the director
and some crewmembers that discuss some of the problems involved in
location filmmaking. We discover that Jamie actually stepped on a nail
(not the same foot as in the film) while clowning around inside a run
down building where they were filming and had his foot bandaged.
Deleted Scenes:
There are two deleted scenes featured on the disc. The first one is an
extended conversation with a young couple they meet on their journey
who have just lost a little boy. The second is a conversation between
Tim and Uncle Deel near the end of the film, which might have enhanced
our understanding of Deel's character but was not included.
Animated Photo
Gallery:
This is a series of slides made during the shooting of the film that
show the cast in various settings with music in the background. It can
easily be skipped.
Trailers:
In addition to the trailer for Undertow, MGM has included
trailers for the films Walking Tall, Code 46, Die
Another Day, and Assassination Tango as well as
recommendations for other MGM releases.
FINAL THOUGHTS
David Gordon
Green's third film is more conventionally plotted than his two earlier
films but there is enough of his earthy, poetic style that lifts this
film above the average. Though I did not find the use of freeze
frames, slow motion shots and other editing tricks add much, the film
has a naturalism that makes you feel as if you are trudging through
the swamps along with the characters. While the story is suspenseful
and involving, it is not its strongest point. The strongest points of
the film for me are the stunning cinematography, the eerie beautiful
score by Philip Glass, and some terrific acting by Bell, Lucas,
Mulroney, and Devon Allen. Part standard thriller, part Southern
gothic fable, Undertow is Green's best film.
