BOTTOM OF THE WORLD

US, 2017, 85 minutes, Colour.
Jena Malone, Douglas Smith, Ted Levine, Tamara Duarte,
Directed by Richard Sears.

This film starts in the spirit of realism involving its audience in the central couple, Scarlett and Alex, played by Jena Malone and Douglas Smith. They are driving through the countryside, aiming for California. When they stay at an intriguing old-style hotel, complications begin to arise.

For audiences who stay the pace, the screenplay becomes more and more intriguing, but more and more complex and puzzling. Scarlett has her moods, physical sickness, returning to the hotel, watching a rather rabid preacher on television, telling her story about tormented behaviour with her cousin. There are further complications when they discover the house where the television preacher does his filming and Scarlett refers to him as her father.

Then, suddenly, we are in an alternate world where Alex is a businessman, finds that he is at home with his wife, his friends wondering where he has been. Scarlett then appears as a next door neighbour with the preacher her father. Alex is more than puzzled and drives out into the countryside to verify some of the aspects of the story.

By the end, with the interconnection of the two worlds, the audience has to ask where the action is happening, whether it is in Scarlett’s mind, tormented with guilt about behaviour towards her cousin, what is in Alex’s mind or is he a figment of Scarlett’s guilt imagination.

Well performed, especially by Jena Malone and Ted Levine as the preacher. Puzzling and challenging.

1. The title? Which world? A world of purgatory? A world of hell?

2. Americana? Driving across the southern states? The open roads? The old hotel? The old church? Old huts? The contrast with suburbia, homes, neighbours, supermarkets? The musical score?

3. Scarlett’s story? How much real, how much in the imagination? Her memories, conscience, communication?

4. Alex’s story? How real? Driving with Scarlett, his puzzles? Listening to Scarlett’s story? The communication with the preacher? With the hooded man? The sudden change to a parallel world, Alex and his marriage to Paige, seemingly ordinary, Scarlett as his neighbour, his drive out into the countryside, the interactions with Scarlett, wanting the truth?

5. Who was Alex? In relationship to Scarlett and her story? The murder, the burial? Scarlett and her guilt? Alex and his search, digging up the grave, bewildered?

6. The role of the preacher, on television, his message, Scarlett and her reaction, her father? Alex going to visit him? His explanation of what was happening? Is recording at home, Alex interrupting? His place in the alternate world and relationship to Scarlett?

7. Alex’s wife, ordinary life, love, bewilderment at his behaviour, trying to support him?

8. The back story, Alex and his work, his work friends and their questioning of him?

9. Parallel worlds, alternate worlds, images of purgatory, images of hell, questions of sin and guilt, the consequences? Seeking identity?