MALADIES
US, 2013, 90 minutes, Colour.
James Franco, Catherine Keener, Fallon Goodson, David Strathairn, Alan Cumming.
Directed by Carter.
A film of eccentricity, disturbance, mental illness, mental creativity, maladies. When David Strathairn asks for a six-letter word for his crossword puzzle, ‘affliction’, James Franco says, ‘malady’.
This film was written and directed by Carter, who also provided art-work and appears briefly as one of the police at the end of the film.
‘Thoughtful’ is another word that pervades the film. ‘Thoughtful’ in terms of ‘sensitivity’, a word that also recurs. But, it is also a ‘full of thoughts’. This film certainly is full of thoughts, existential thoughts, with the chapter headings and questions about thoughts, feelings, meanings and personal identity. There is also a voiceover with comments but which asks a lot of questions, one of the voices that James (James Franco), hears and answers. Togetherness and isolation are also important. The film introduces Delmar, (a finally sensitive David Strathairn), and James, the former soap-opera star, (plenty of glimpses of the soap-opera), now fired and living with this thoughtfulness and trying to write. He lives on beachfront New York with his fey sister Patricia, (Fallon Goodson), and artist Catherine (Catherine Keener always strong and dependable). They form a little community, united in friendship and in art, with the next-door neighbor, Delmar.
James Franco has become a versatile screen presence and is at the core of this portrait of maladies. He of not understanding.
At the beginning of the film, Catherine and Patricia are watching extensive footage of Jim Jones and the mass suicide at Jonestown. The setting is late 1978 and audiences are invited to reflect on what this event meant, in terms of the person and personality of Jones, his persuasiveness, hundreds of people leaving San Francisco, and dying at his command. The challenge for the audience is to connect the implications of this event with the characters in the film and their behavior.
1. The title? Reference to illnesses, afflictions?
2. The multimedia and art career of Carter? The work of James Franco, his self-image and self-creation? The cast?
3. The philosophical underpinning of the film? The chapters? Identity, point a to point b to c? Possibilities for change, different perspectives, different times, different activities? The need for makers?
4. The background of Jim Jones and Jonestown? The people leaving San Francisco, following him, charismatic, herd-like? His charisma, his charm, his power? The mass deaths? Catherine and Patricia are watching the television, their comments, the fascination?
5. The opening on the beach, the voiceover, the philosophical questions? Delmar, his reading the book? James, wandering, the water, photos?
6. James’s life, the presence of James Franco, the past in the soap-opera, being fired, his explanation of being written out, Delmar and his watching all the episodes? James, his concern for his sister, the quiet life, friendship with Catherine and, her looking after James M. Patricia, Delmar being called hunt, the detailed life at home?
7. The character of Catherine, her art, the Rorschach blots, Patricia defacing them, her apology, Catherine and her dressing as a man, going out? Eating at the diner, the angry man and his upset, attacking Catherine?
8. The character of Patricia, alone, withdrawing, defacing Catherine’s art, intruding?
9. Delmar, nice, his friendship with the group, his visits, James blurting but that Delmar was gay, Delmar coping?
10. The Braille lady, reading on the park bench, James and the photo, James impressed, getting the Braille text, saying he would learn Braille?
11. The clips from James’s soap opera, his memories?
12. The future for these eccentric people?
13. Philosophical interest, exploration of ideas? Criticism that the film was merely pretentious?
