WHEN A MAN FALLS IN THE FOREST

Canada, 2007, 85 minutes, Colour.
Dylan Baker, Timothy Hutton, Sharon Stone, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Stacie Bono.
Directed by Ryan Eslinger.

When a Man Falls in the Forest is a brief drama, rather sombre as its title might indicate. No-one hears a tree fall in the forest. No-one hears a man fall in the forest of life – especially in the anonymity of the larger American city.

This film was a special project for Sharon Stone who acted as producer to encourage the writer-director. Ryan Eslinger had previous written and directed the film, Madness and Genius.

The film was well served by the three central performances of Timothy Hutton, Pruitt Taylor Vince and, especially, Dylan Baker.

The film focuses on tensions in marriage, nervous breakdown, the working-place, argumentation and tensions in relationships.

1. The title? The significance? The insignificance of a person falling in the forest – and no-one hearing? Ordinary life?

2. The atmosphere of the American city, ordinary, offices, apartments and corridors, shops, barbeques? The musical score and the mood? The anonymous American city?

3. The shallows of life, day in, day out? Lives of quiet desperation?

4. The realistic and the naturalistic? The intercutting of dreams? The real and surreal atmosphere?

5. The four characters, the focus? Each as centre of their own world?

6. Bill’s story: Dylan Baker’s performance? Age, physical appearance, mental, emotionally awkward, obsessive and neat, cleaning? His job and the vacuuming? The meeting with Gary, watching him sleep, awkward manner? At home, locking the door, keeping everything tidy, listening to the tapes on dreams, writing his journal? The library and his putting things in order? Hearing his neighbours and their fighting? The child and not opening the door for him? Discovering the children in his room? The mother and her apology, the invitation to dinner – his not being sure? The phone continually ringing, the wrong number, his answering? The dreams and their range? Keeping his diary? The kids looking at his drawing? His dreams, heroics, yet the crowd and naked, the police and taking him to the precinct, the interrogation, his concern about the neighbours and their fighting, the suspicions of the police about the children in his room? His being ashamed? The violence, the blood and smearing it over his face, becoming a warrior? His falling and crawling? Continuing at work, seeing Travis and Travis’s apology? Continuing his work?

7. Gary at work, asleep, avoiding going home, the relationship with Karen, the silences at home, his love for wine, wine tasting? The contact with Travis, not having spoken for four years, their previous friendship? Going to the barbeque, talking and their drinking? Reviewing their lives? His comments about Travis’s guilt, fears? Karen and her stealing? The supermarket sequence, the happiness and the memories, the transition to sadness, Karen wanting to leave? Will and his return for the holidays? Gary watching television with him, Easter Island? Gary left alone? Fixing the tiles? Travis’s visit? His harsh words towards Travis and his life, fears? Shovelling the snow? Going to the store, refusing to give his wallet, shot dead? The funeral?

8. Karen, Sharon Stone’s performance? Appearance, at home, quiet, the meals, inability to communicate with Gary, her stealing the gloves, her sense of achievement, stealing the clothes, being caught, Gary having to come and take her home? The supermarket sequence and the moments of joy, sadness? At work, not signing the card? Her relationship with her son?

9. Travis, his history, the phone call, the bar, the barbeque, not driving a car, Gary rebuking him? The effect of the visit and Gary tiling, harsh words? His collecting Gary’s things? The apology to Bill? Buying the car, driving out – towards a future?

10. Will, his arrival, age, sensing the tensions, at home, his studies in calculus, watching the television, going out to his friends, the funeral, asking Travis about what Gary was like before he met Karen?

11. The neighbour, the fights, her boy, the children going into the room, her apology, her black eye, the invitation to dinner? Her place in Bill’s dreams?

12. The incidental characters, at work, the car salesman and his spiel?

13. Hope even in shallow lives, desperately quiet lives? Day in, day out?