Movie Review: Undertow

The notion of the “American Film-Artist” sounds a bit oxymoronic. The independent fever of the late 80’s/early 90’s has subsided into a flurry of productions that essentially share the same qualities as the big major Hollywood studios, only on a smaller scale. Even in the independent realm, films are created with the sole intent of telling a good story, or more importantly, a strong narrative. The screenwriter writes the story which (ideally) has a solid three-act structure, while the director’s main job is to merely “add the pictures.”

Filmmaker David Gordon Green does more than just “add the pictures.” In fact, if one were to regard his earlier efforts (”George Washington” and “All the Real Girls”), his films are ABOUT the pictures. Green is not so much interested in just “telling a good story” (though he ultimately does so), but rather he seems more drawn to moments, gestures, [Read more]