8 mm

US, 1999, 119 minutes, Colour.
Nicholas Cage, Joachim Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, Catherine Keener.
Directed by Joel Schumacher.

8 mm had mixed reception on its release. The main problem was its subject of the pornography industry in New York. It paints a grim picture of the underworld of Los Angeles, the people involved in the industry, the victims who are led to believe that they will be on a star career path but who are exploited – and, in this film, become part of a snuff movie.

The film is basically a private detective search for a missing person film. However, the girl missing appears in a snuff movie. The widow of a rich industrialist wants to investigate the case, understand the husband she has loved for forty-five years, ensure that the girl was not harmed.

Nicholas Cage, in very serious mode, is effective as the detective who becomes caught up in the world of pornography. In this way, just like other films about undercover agents, especially Al Pacino in Cruising and in such films as Deep Cover and In Too Deep. Joachim Phoenix portrays a young man with musical ambitions who has found himself caught up selling pornography in Los Angeles. James Gandolfini and Peter Stormare have no difficulty in creating persuasive and frightening villains. Catherine Keener gives more strength to the role of Cage’s wife.

The film was directed by Joel Schumacher, often the subject of criticism because of the range of his films and their bright visual flair – which is not the case in this film. His films range from the Grisham adaptations The Client and A Time to Kill to Batman Forever and Batman and Robin and other striking films like Falling Down and Phone Booth, Veronica Guerin. He also filmed The Phantom of the Opera.

Other films which portray pornographers in a more sympathetic light include Boogie Nights and The People vs Larry Flint.

1. Audience response to the film, in favour, because of its subject, questions and treatment, against because it runs the danger of being prurient and voyeuristic? Critical condemnation? The film as a challenge?

2. The pornography industry, its reality, the personnel involved, production, filming, mass-producing the videos and distributing, the clients and the sex addicts? The brutality leading to sexual violence? The critique?

3. The attitude of the writer and director, the frank presentation of the issues, the discreet introduction of pornographic material? Audiences responding to the narrative, detection, involvement of the central character, the human dimensions, especially of family, the inhuman dimensions of brutality? An emotional response? Judgment?

4. The film’s action taking place across the United States from Florida, Pennsylvania, California, Carolina, New York? The vistas of the cities, the streets, the sleazy streets, especially of Los Angeles, hotels and studios, empty warehouses, sex shops? The contrast with the quiet and gentility of the countryside, the family home, the mansions of the rich, the world of Carolina and poor people and workplaces and homes?

5. The musical score, the high orchestration for tension, the soft piano and single note for family and emotion, the background of choral music?

6. The title, the measurement of film, film as real, film as fantasy, images and their effect, the senses, emotions? The involvement in film, the voyeur aspect of film? The use of special effects, editing? The sexual content, extreme, beyond…? The excerpts, the videos, the snuff action? The audience watching an edited and created realistic snuff movie in a discussion about its reality and fantasy?

7. The personnel involved, the companies, Eddie and his way of life, auditions, the filming, his New York connections? The New York director, the discussions about his art, his clients, critical response – yet pornography? Machine, sadomasochism, his mask? His killing on-screen? The financial deals, greed? The crooked lawyer and his connections? The rich and anonymous clients? The factories for mass production, the sex shops, the people in the cast, performance? The ingenuous young people coming to California? The characters, like Max, on the fringe?

8. The theme of dancing with the Devil and the Devil not changing but the Devil changing people? Tom’s final plea to his wife, “Save me”?

9. The introduction to Tom, Florida, his detective work, flying home, being paid by the senator, his reputation? His office, phone calls, new jobs? (And the issue of smoking and his wife’s criticism, his lies, her seeing the cigarette butts in the ashtray?)

10. Amy and Cindy, the tender moments of the film, Tom and his going home, a haven for him, love, the cigarettes? His love for the baby, getting up at night? Amy, her strength of character, as wife, mother? The effect of Tom being away? Getting money for Cindy’s education? The phone calls, his forgetting? The cumulative effect, her wondering whether she should stay?

11. The new case, the widow, her wealthy industrialist husband, the story of the safe, Longdale as the lawyer? The discovery of the film, Tom and his watching it and his reaction? The inquiry, whether the girl died or not? The discussions about snuff movies as urban legend? Payment, the phone calls, dealing with the widow, her support? The discovery of the truth, her wanting to know, her learning the truth, her reaction, looking at her husband’s picture? The information that she had killed herself? The payment of the fee, the bequest to the family of the girl?

12. The theme of needing to know, searching, photos, interrogations, the mother and her dilemma about wanting to know the exact truth or not, no matter what? Tom’s phone call, her reaction, the final letter?

13. The use of computers, enlarging film, the data? The issue of the film stock? Accounts for excessive payments for such a film? The widow and her discovery of the accounts, the role of the lawyer, his taking the money?

14. Los Angeles, its look, the contacts, Tom going to the nuns and the shelter, getting Mary Anne Matthew’s bag, the phone number? Tracking down Eddie, the confrontation in his office, setting up the surveillance, listening to his phone calls, challenging him anonymously, the phone call to New York, Tom following him?

15. Meeting Max, his reading Truman Capote, discussions about reading, his work, his musical ambitions? Wanting to sell sex objects? Going outside, the talk, Tom offering him the job? The contacts, going to the factories, trying to make a deal, the inherent violence and their being ousted? Their buying the videos, the price, Beyond…, Extreme…? Their watching the films, realising that some of the films had the same actresses, therefore not snuff? Max and his continued advice, about the Devil? Wanting to go to New York?

16. The New York director, Max and his contact, their bargaining at the door and offering money? Max helping Tom discuss the director’s films? The commission, the deposit, the plan with the widow, Tom sending Max back to Los Angeles, his being abducted, brought in, hanging – and Machine killing him?

17. The build-up to the showdown, the director, the lawyer arriving with Eddie? The truth, the deal? The fights, Tom going to his car to get the film, the discussions with Longdale? The confrontation, Tom using the issue of the money to provoke them, Longdale and the gun, shooting the director (who did not want to die that way)? The death of Longdale?

18. People like Longdale, his motivation, his employer as a client, making the contacts, stealing the money? Answering the question about why he made the film and watched it, “because he could”?

19. The struggle, Tom being wounded, reaching for the gun, Eddie and his leaving, Machine and the stabbing? His going home wounded, phoning Amy and telling her to go to the holiday house, arrival, the argument, her threats? Talking with the widow on the phone, explaining everything, going to the house, discovering she had taken her life? His sense of mission to avenge the widow and Mary- Anne Matthews?

20. The phone call to request permission for vengeance from the mother? Los Angeles, the confrontation with Eddie, Eddie taunting him, giving him the detail of what happened, his inability to shoot Eddie? His going outside, thinking, vengeance, going back, bashing him, burning the house?

21. Burning the hospital, the phone calls, getting Machine’s address, his mother going on the Christian Fellowship bus, the fight with Machine, Machine’s explanation, no physical or mental abuse, his just liking what he did? His death?

22. Tom returning home, the baby, Amy still there, his asking her to save him? His character, his life and work, needing to know, a man of principle, the emotional effect on him, watching the material, the issue of turning on or not turning on and being involved? The ugly world and its fascination? Becoming partly voyeur, obsessive? Becoming violent, destroying people?

23. The end, his working in the garden, Janet, his meeting her and searching the house, the meal and the drink, finding Mary-Anne’s? diary and leaving it for her mother to see, interviewing the young man in prison? His final phone call, telling her the truth? Her letter, giving him some grace and the possibility of continuing his life?