Providence: timely preparation or prevention
for future eventualities.
A couple moves to a small town on an island to start a new life away from the city's chaos. They buy a house, and everything seems to be getting off to a flying start while they expect their baby. It is a truth universally acknowledged and dated—both doubtfully and certainly—to thousands of years that the idea of moving is one of the best possible solutions for anything. Why can't we just accept our reality? What are we really looking for when moving? Are we searching for peace, solitude or tranquility? Even two refugees in a cave can create unwanted problems… so, are we just not meant to live in society?
Greedy People, director Potsy Ponciroli's second movie, perfectly represents the saying "the smaller the town, the bigger the fuss," just like Lynch's Twin Peaks, Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt or the Coen brothers' firsts works as filmmakers. These are just a few examples of directors that, in my opinion, know how to create tense dynamics in hostile environments where everything seems to be about to explode. Technically and cinematographically speaking, I didn't think this film—which unfortunately flew under the radar—was a masterpiece. Nonetheless, the movie greatly depicts the hell a small town can turn into after a tragic accident occurs and many people are interested in taking advantage of the situation.
In this black comedy thriller, we witness Will (Himesh Patel), a righteous police officer, on his first day at work. His partner is Terry (Joseph Gordon Levitt), an intense, eccentric and arrogant patrol officer who shows Will the city and what happens in the surrounding area. Terry is the typical police officer who doesn't pay for coffee, continuously reprimands others for believing they are better and even has a lover—a married woman who enjoys Terry's "company" when her husband is away. Will lives with Paige and their dog in a house located in the suburbs of this nice town. Everything seems to be working out as planned. But, as we all know, these films aren't made to show our routine's "calmest" side. That's Wim Wenders and Jim Jarsmuch cup of tea. Therefore, I was preparing for what was coming…
SPOILER ALERT!
This unpredictable movie presents the conflict in its first minutes, like when Laura Palmer appears wrapped in plastic on the bay in Twin Peaks, but with a "funnier" touch. Will is informed of an 11-15, which is a non-emergency police code he misinterprets while Terry and the married woman are having sex. After arriving at a mansion, Will realizes nothing dangerous nor unusual is happening and the woman in the mansion tries to kill him for sneaking into her house. During the struggle, the woman falls, a huge piece of wood thrusts into her head and she dies. From then on, the director shows different points of view divided into chapters, which I thought was just brilliant. Everyone knows part of the truth and decides to do something about it.
Lately, I've been going through a human deconstruction process, and I realized that the most minimal but real stories make me want to produce films on my own without other's funds nor approval. I want to make them as simple as possible. Maybe I have this idea because I live in Argentina—a country where big budgets and crazy ideas are not subject to debate—or maybe because, when we grow up, we forget about the stories we thought were going to be with us forever and we find new ones to relate to. I still don't know the real reason: probably a combination of both.
Therefore, I greatly enjoy watching the ideas presented in less commercial and mainstream cinema. I can't define this cinema as independent—I explained my reasoning in another article— that's why I describe it like this. I believe resources can be better exploited in the most adverse circumstances of cinema, which is something few renowned filmmakers know how to do, like Steven Spielberg or Denis Villeneuve.
Greedy People has clever dialogue, sarcasm mixed with Greek tragedy and so many misfortunes that it's impossible to look the other way. The film combines many film noir elements and fully exploits the concept of "the smaller the town, the bigger the fuss." Maybe Greedy People isn't going to be your favorite movie of the year, since it also has some basic editing and tone mistakes, which may be considered sins. Nonetheless, I dare to think that, despite everything, this is definitely the correct path an aspiring author can take.
BY JERÓNIMO CASCO
Posted on SEPTEMBER 16, 2024, 17:58 PM | UTC-GMT -3
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