Bubble

I had been meaning to see Bubble for a really long time. The DVD always popped up on my "recommended films" list on NetFlix and the cover looked really compelling. When I finally saw it I have to admit I was totally surprised. Steven Soderbergh has such a range, from high budget, high profile films that feature every star in Hollywood to something like Bubble, which was shot in a small town in Ohio using non-actors from the area and a mostly improvised script. All of his films are interesting and all of them, in my opinion, are good.

Bubble is a slice of life film which goes very dark very quickly with very little explanation. The non-actors that make up this perfectly awkward ensemble cast do a spectacular job integrating their own personalities and experiences with the plot of the film. The performances in this film are wonderful and could not have been achieved with big name actors.

Bubble was also shot on DV which doesn't show at all. I have always said, if a filmmaker has truly mastered DV then the audience will never know it's not film. Granted some shots in Bubble couldn't pass for 35 mm but it's pretty damn close.

Bubble is complex in it's simplicity. This is the fist of Soderbergh's 6 low budget picture deal with HD Net. The other 5 will follow the same formula: choose a subject, choose a town, choose local actors. If you feel like seeing something way outside the mainstream but oddly close to home Bubble is a good choice. Just don't watch it expecting any of the characteristics of modern Hollywood.

I really enjoyed this DVD. Especially after seeing Pirates II the day before. complete opposite in terms of overall complexity. But actually more engaging than Pirates. Johnny, Keira and Orlando as the main 3 actors in Bubble? Wouldn't work. Low key actors is the key to this film. The sets and scenery are genuine too. The plot is the classic intrigue. The alternate ending would have detracted from that. The ambiguity of certain scenes adds to the interest. The DVD extras are enjoyable as well. Soderbergh's commentary was interesting. The interviews of the main actors, also good. The alternate ending is worth checking out. The "making of" segment, also enlightening.

Bubble was a pleasant experience with a solid script, great performances and sharp direction. With echoes from Aki Kaurismäki's work, Soderbergh gives us a intimate movie which borderlines between a tragicomedy and a mystery tale.

I expected the low budget to show, but this movie was absolutely beautifully shot and I still don't believe that the equipment fit in one van... The actors were very good, and it's hard to believe they weren't professionals.

All in all, a very good film which I plan to view several times. I am left eagerly awaiting the next movie in Steven Soderbergh's series of low-budget movies shot in America.

I was lucky enough to see this movie followed by a Q&A with the screen writer. I thought this was one of the most amazing movies i have ever seen. They used all non-actors who actually lived in the town. The acting was so true, Rose's daughter was her real daughter and the reactions that they got from the child were so genuine that they could only come from true relationship. They kept the "actors" in the dark about how the story would unfold and shot in sequence. this could not be more clear when you watch the film. The reactions were true in a way only the best actors could pull off. They were not acting, they were being themselves in these contrived situations. They used the actors real houses, clothes and life experiences. I thought it was one of the most brilliant and unconventional films of our time.

Lisa Swartzbaum of Entertainment Weekly opened the New York Film Festival screening of "Bubble" by introducing the writer Coleman Hough (a woman, to my minor shock). She said about 10 words and the screening began.

Upon the first scene, any film guru would note that it's amazingly captured on HD. Some scenes I couldn't believe weren't 35mm.

"Bubble" doesn't belittle the simple people it depicts, as many Hollywood-takes-on-small-town-USA films do, but really gives them great depth and complexity. Coming from a small town myself, I felt like I knew the people that were on the screen.

The neurotic "love" triangle that emerges in the film is wonderfully dark and comedic, as is the film entirely. From the assembly of the dolls in the factory to the simple lunch break conversations, everything has a seeded, underlying element of humanity that is both jocular and haunting.

Without giving away anything damaging to the story, "Bubble" is a great escape from Hollywood for both Soderbergh and the public alike with amazing performances by the non-professional leads and supporting cast and an ending that will make you say "Huh?"

8/10 (and for as much as I paid for tickets to the NYFF, Soderbergh should've been there dammit!)