SURVEILLANCE
US, 2008, 98 minutes, Colour.
Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Kent Harper, Michael Ironside, Pell James, Ryan Simkins.
Directed by Jennifer Lynch.
After a critical mauling for her Boxing Helena in 1993, David Lynch’s daughter, Jennifer, withdrew from films for writing novels and raising her daughter. Surveillance is her comeback, produced by David Lynch who also wrote the provocative lyrics to the final credits’ song. She has co-written it with Kent Harper who has a central role as the local police officer, Jack.
It opens like a variation of In Cold Blood with a vicious home attack at night on a family. Later, it will go into something of a Funny Games mode. Obviously Jennifer Lynch has been influenced by her father – we travel on another Lost Highway which has the alternate worlds of what the characters describe verbally and what the audience sees as actually happened. It also looks, especially towards the end, that she has also absorbed the spirit of Quentin Tarantino.
The plot has a twist at the end (which may or may not be signalled in advance although the present reviewer picked it early enough). The film takes place over one day as two FBI agents (Julia Ormond and Bill Pullman) arrive to investigate the killings. The police are resentful of the intrusion, although the chief (Michael Ironside) is co-operative as is the secretary (Caroline Aaron). They have two witnesses, a junkie and a 9 year old girl. Much of the film shows the interviews (with surveillance cameras) along with the tell-tale flashbacks to the truth. This builds an atmosphere of puzzle as to what happened, even why the witnesses are the only two present besides the police. However, all becomes clear with the twist and some truly manic and appalling violent behaviour.
Not everyone’s kind of police thriller but effective of its kind.
1.The work of Jennifer Lynch, film, novels? The influence of her father? Producer, writing the lyrics for the final song – its tone for the whole film?
2.The influence of Lynch’s films, of Quentin Tarantino and his violence? The background of David Lynch’s Lost Horizon with Bill Pullman? Mystery, parallel worlds, other worlds, violence? The score, the sound engineering?
3.The title and its variety of meanings? Especially for the cameras, the FBI?
4.The credits, the intruders in the house, the violent, killings, the woman escaping and running, the pursuit? The later photos – and Halloway wanting them removed?
5.Surveillance and the interviews, the flashbacks – and their not being true? Bobbi and her talking about her friend, the job, the interview – and in reality, their going for drugs, the supplier taking the overdose and dying, their robbing all the drugs, mocking him in death? Their taking the drugs, driving together? Seeing the family, offering to help? The interview with the police, especially Jack? His explanations of fulfilling his duty? This not being true, their shooting at serial killer targets, seeing the couple, shooting out the tyre, terrorising Keith and his girlfriend? Stopping the family, their behaviour with the husband, terrorising him, the approach to the wife? The children? Their behaviour with Bobbi? Stephanie and the flashbacks, her describing what actually happened in terms of the car ride, the vacation, seeing the abandoned vehicle, her experience of what happened to her parents and to Bobbi and her friend? The reality of what happened, the crashing of the vehicle, the killing of the driver, the explosion and the father’s death, Jack and his partner, opening the truck, the false hostage in the bag, Jack shooting and killing his friend?
6.The police, the chief, his assistant, their attitudes to the FBI, smirking, some slow-witted, inappropriate remarks? The fact that Jim had just been killed? Jack and his reaction? Janet, helping in the station, getting things ready, documents, her general concern?
7.Bobbi and Stephanie, the only witnesses, the reason for their presence? Issues of procedure, and Halloway and his criticising the police?
8.The FBI agents arriving, the scenes of their bonding, everything being good, audiences being suspicious or not? Their dress, the car, identity as agents, treatment of the police, getting the equipment, setting it up, the decisions about the interviews, the three screens?
9.Bill Pullman as Halloway, his odd style, his relationship with the girl, with the police, noting the tensions, the questions, the procedures? The breaks with the other agent, their intimacy and Stephanie noticing?
10.Julia Ormond as the FBI agent, her style, nice, with Stephanie, the drawing, with Bobbi, talking – and her saying that it evoked memories of the past? Her relationship with Sam?
11.Janet, contacting the coroner, getting the help, her interest – and the brutality of her death?
12.Stephanie and her poise, in the car, with the family, with her stepfather, seeing the van, the parents and their singing and not listening, her attempts at warning? The hold-up, her watching what happened, the behaviour of the police, David? The treatment of her stepfather, the sexual approach to her mother? Her brother’s reaction, taking the wallet? Going away – and the final crash? The father’s death? David and the mother being shot?
13.Bobbi, the truth about the driving, the crash, her friend’s death? The reaction to the police? Getting Stephanie and hiding in the car?
14.The episode with Keith and his girlfriend, decent people, the tyre, being robbed – being let go, and then their deaths at the hands of the killers? Keith and his hands taped to the wheel of the van?
15.Stephanie, telling the truth about the crash? Her being upset about not telling the truth to her family? The agent absolving her?
16.Jack, the grief at his partner’s death, the interview, his attitude towards the FBI agents, the flashbacks and the truth?
17.Billings, an honourable man, trying to do the best, smoking, his death?
18.Jack, the attempt to get the gun, wounding the agent, his death?
19.The agent driving the police to the motel, the information from the motel, the corpses? The irony of the dead FBI agents? Her killing the police? Bobbi, the sexual advances and tantalising? Bobbi’s death?
20.Stephanie, her telling Halloway that she knew the truth? This as being a reason for letting her live?
21.The overall impact of the film, the twist, the brutal murders, the ‘funny games’? The pessimistic and even nihilistic feel of the story and treatment?
