It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine.

I saw this film in New York a year ago and was blow away. A few films over the years have had this power and have left this type of mark on this avid film goer and maker. "Domestic Abuse" by Fredrick Wiseman, "Persona" by Bergman (when I was 18), "Killer of Sheep" by Charles Burnett two years ago... To name a few. This film has more power in its premise that any Hollywood film I could think of. It's a sort of blend of surrealism, documentary with Fassbinder, Margit Carsten was an actress in Fessbinder's films. It mixes fiction with fact so intensely it leaves you moved. The star and co-writer Steven C. Stewart himself has a severe case of cerebral palsy and the story is about him having fantasies about having sex with beautiful women. Now, the sexual fantasies have a touch of anger in them... Can you imagine that? Angry about having a crippling disease which makes it that much difficult to make love to a beautiful woman? I don't know what he has to be angry about! This movie is a beautiful wish fulfillment and a powerful statement about the frailty of the human body and all its needs. And yes although politically correct America doesn't want to admit it, the physically disabled have needs too! Mr. Stewart passed away shortly after the completion of this film and it a pure testament to his commitment to the art work. This man, lived longer, to see this film through... If that doesn't move you than you're cynical... The music is beautiful the camera and art direction is perfectly insular and surreal and the dialogue is filled with truth. I dare you to look into the void and not scream!

It's not just that this film is offensive. It's, that this film is terrible. From the cinematography to the dialogue to the gratuitous unimportant rape scene this film is just not good. Sometimes art is made that pushes boundaries and makes people uncomfortable and it has its place. This isn't that. This is old tropes pulled from the 70's and displayed in a lackluster manner while celebrating its misogyny and applauding the pedophile.

I had the opportunity to see this film along with a question / answer segment with Mr. Glover. The film pushes the audience in so many ways, and Crispin truly reaches into peoples value system and outlook on what is regarded as "normal." In the Q/A section, he really allowed people to see his motivations and desire to tell the bigger story. The film was written not by Crispin, but by the main actor. Without Crispin, this film would have never been made. Inspirational and beyond what we consider "normal" story-telling.