THE MOTEL LIFE
US, 2012, 86 minutes, Colour.
Emile Hirsch, Stephen Dorff, Dakota Fanning, Joshua Leonard, Kris Kristofferson.
Directed by Alan Polsky, Gabriel Polsky.
This drama is worth persevering with. In fact, it is a film about two brothers, two losers.
The film uses a great deal of animation, with one of the brothers, Jerry Lee (Stephen Dorff) being a sketch artist, the animation bringing many of his stories to life. His older brother, Frank (Emile Hirsch) has skills as a verbal storyteller. The film fills in their background of their father leaving, their mother dying of cancer, trying to provide for them, but as orphans, racing to catch a train and Jerry Lee falling and breaking his leg. Jerry Lee has had mental troubles and has been in an institution. Frank takes responsibility for his brother but does not have a very good job.
An emotional crisis occurs when Jerry Lee has been driving and suddenly kills a cyclist on the road, taking his dead body to the hospital and leaving him to be cared for. He has an emotional crisis, shoots himself in the leg, his broken leg, and burns the car. He confides in Frank who has to care for him when he is hospitalised with his leg. He wants to leave.
Frank gives up his job, sells his father’s prize gun to get some money for them to get away, the police being suspicious with Jerry Lee’s story. However, Frank’s friend Tommy (Joshua Leonard) persuades him to bet the pawn money on a Tyson- Douglas fight, Douglas unexpectedly winning and Frank getting a windfall, giving money to Tommy as well as to another friend.
Kris Kristofferson plays Earl Hurley, the sympathetic friend who gives Frank advice, urges him to think positively, sells him a car. In the past, Frank has had a relationship with a young woman, Annie (Dakota Fanning) but she has been involved in prostitution and he leaves. He decides to go back to her town and make contact again.
Jerry Lee has a conscience and is always concerned about the dead boy and his family. Frank is a good man, trying to be supportive in difficult circumstances. Jerry Lee reassures him that he has had love in his life with Annie whereas Jerry Lee has had only one of his sketch characters, Marjorie, a fantasy relationship.
At the end, the audience might be asking whether this is a real story or whether it is one of Frank stories dramatically illustrated.
1. The title? Expectations? The story of two losers? Eliciting audience understanding and sympathy?
2. Reno, the apartment, the streets, the hospital, bars, casino in betting? The open roads, the countryside? The bakery? An ordinary world but focused on the life of the two young men? The musical score?
3. The role of the animation? Frank and his verbal telling of the stories? Jerry Lee and his sketches, drawings, the stories coming alive in the animation? The animation style, vivid? War, relationships, sexuality, their father, Jerry Lee, Marjorie?
4. The past, their father, the Winchester, his leaving? The mother, her cancer, the scene with her talking to her sons, organising her will and their welfare? Her death, their being orphaned? Together, hurrying to catch the train, Jerry Lee’s fall, breaking his leg? The scenes of the two boys together? Earl Hurley and his affirmation of Frank?
5. The brothers as adults, Frank and his job, Jerry Lee and his leg, his difficult life, drugs, institutionalised? Tension? Frank and his support?
6. The crisis, Jerry Lee, in his car, hitting the cyclist, the boy dead, Jerry Lee leaving his body at the hospital, driving away? Shooting his leg, burning the car? Polly giving Frank the news? Going to the hospital? Frank keeping vigil? The doctors and nurses, the treatment? Frank telling Jerry Lee stories? Care?
7. Jerry Lee, his conscience, worrying about the dead boy, his family? Bored with television? Wanting to leave? Imagining the stories, discussing them with Frank?
8. Frank, his responsibility, going to see the family of the dead boy, telling Jerry Lee about the family? His friendship with Tommy, at the bar, Tommy owing Jerry Lee money? Wanting to gamble? The Tyson- Douglas fight? The friend, his being bashed, the conversation? Frank selling the father’s gun, the small amount of money? Tommy’s suggestion, the fight, the bet, going to the casino, Tyson and his ascendancy, then losing? Frank and the money, giving some to the friend, money to Tommy – and his being seen at the tables gambling?
9. The police, the interrogations?
10. Frank, going to Earl, buying the car? Earl and his support? Driving, spending the night in the car?
11. The background of Annie, Frank and his love for her, her sexual behaviour, ousting her? His return to the town, meeting up again, her working in the bakery, love?
12. Frank and Jerry Lee, sharing their stories, Jerry Lee and his hankering after Marjorie?
13. Jerry and Frank, this story – real or another illustrated story?
