GRIEF

US, 1994, 86 minutes, Colour.
Craig Chester, Alexis Arquette, Lucy Gutteridge, Ileana Douglas.
Directed by Richard Glatzer.

Grief is a small-budget first feature by writer-director Richard Glatzer. Suffering from grief at the death of his companion, Donald Berry, to whom the film was dedicated, Glatzer decided to write a comedy set in a production office - for television series which were Z-grade. It reflects his own experience of working on the series, Divorce Court, for five years.

Glatzer brings to the plot and his characters a gay sensibility. The central characters are gay, one man is trying to find his sexual identity. The star of the film, Jackie Beat, is an excellent female impersonator. The film, while a comedy, is clearly a film of sexual politics of the '90s.

The film focuses on Mark, a young producer, grieving over the death of his lover. Jo is the head producer at the station and is about to leave and marry. However, she is clashing with the invisible administration. Also on the staff are the gay Jeremy, the ambivalent Bill, Paula who hopes to be a producer, and the general factotum Lesley who tries her hand at writing (played by Ileana Douglas).

The film shows five days in the production office and uses the framework of soap opera, heightened, to portray the characters as well as their dilemmas. Punctuating the film are excerpts from the television series that they produce, Love Court. These are rather hilarious grainy videoed segments which parody the American court sitcoms. Stars like Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov appear in these excerpts.

The film has a humanity about it underlying the soap opera characterisations and situations which give the film more depth than one might have expected.

1. Entertaining comedy with pathos and drama? Portrait of characters? Moral dilemmas? Emotional relationships?

2. The setting: the Z-grade production team and their offices? The television-like exteriors? The video excerpts from the program produced? The musical score?

3. The writer-director's experience in soap operas? His writing his characters with soap opera conventions in mind? The real soap operas? Audience response to soap operas - knowing the characters, situations, emotional appeal, emotional dilemmas and concern?

4. The title, the writer-director's own experience, deaths of lovers, AIDS? The suicidal aftermath of the death? Coping with grief? Support from friends?

5. The station, its ethos, the stories, the parody in the stories and their titles, the quick writing, everybody writing? The producer and her dealings with the bosses? The quickie productions?

6. Mark, suicidal, standing on the building, memory of Kenny? Coping with grief? His work, friendship with Jeremy, attraction to Bill? Working with Jo? The rivalry with Paula? Discussions with Lesley about scripts and the running of the office? The week progressing, the relationship with Jeremy? The attraction towards Bill - and the disillusionment when Jeremy tells him the truth? The interviews, the possibility of becoming the producer? His leaving the building, watching the Japanese film? His wanting to resign? Jo and her going in to support him? Becoming co producer? The gay sensibility? Jo and her talk about him as an ordinary person and not being perceived as Jewish and gay? His having to come to terms with himself, relationships, his job?

7. Jo, Jackie Beat as the female impersonator and the credibility of his character of Jo? Size and jokes about the fat lady? Not going to Acapulco but to Eastern Europe where she was accepted? Finding a fiance, Milos? Her relationship with the staff? Friendly (in the Bea Arthur style)? The to-do about the couch and the sexual encounters? Supporting Mark, supporting Paula? Her concern about Bill and Kelly? The comedy of the hazards of production through her character? The resignation, discussions with the producers? The video edited style of her fighting in support of Mark? Her genial presence?

8. Jeremy and his place within the office, the writing, his relationship with Mark and collaborating with him? The discussions with homosexuality and relationships? His own private life? The attraction towards Bill, the encounter, the affair for several weeks? His talking with Mark and telling him the truth? The clash? His future relationship with Bill?

9. Bill, his place in the office, working for several years, his relationship with Kelly, their break-up, his phone calls to her? Sexual ambivalence? The seeming attraction towards Mark? The encounter with Jeremy and his relationship with him? His work, Jo setting him up to clash with Kelly? His telling the truth to Mark and Mark's reaction? His future in the team, his future relationships?

10. Paula, her divorce, story editor, her rivalry with Mark? Friendship with Leslie? Discussions with Jo, the interviews, the stories and getting them ready for filming? Her possible promotion as producer, Mark as the other candidate, the interview? The discussions with Leslie, her proposing the compromise that they each be producer?

11. Leslie - her working for only three months, the range of jobs, her personality, friendly with each member of the team, having to work for Jo an Jo not being satisfied? Her wanting to write, her screenplay, Jo's reaction? Its acceptance, being edited, being filmed? Her attraction to the electrician, their discussions, wanting to go out with him? Her discussions with Paula and assessment of everybody in the studio and office? Her staying on, supportive? Finding her own identity?

12. Kelly and her work in the office, leaving, relationship with Bill, the phone calls and breaking off? Her visiting with the second Bill, his manner, meeting the original Bill, awkwardness? Jo and her setting up Kelly for a meeting with Bill, its failure?

13. The unseen management, their being presented as tyrants, ignorant, demanding? Mark and his going in for the interview for being producer, Paula and her interview - and people hearing about it? Jo and her clashes, special pleading for the staff?

14. The future of the people in the office, their work, the relationships?