Scalene

There are essentially three characters in "Scalene". And with respect to the writers for their rather ingenious title, we can pretend there are three points of view. The first half of the film is spent with the mother, but mostly told backwards in time. She's seeking justice and revenge for the incarceration of her mentally-handicapped son charged with rape. Then we hear from the son and then the abused girl herself.

The mother, played by Margo Martindale, is stressed out to her wits ends and is trying to find someone who can understand what she's going through trying to raise her brain-damaged son who can't speak all on her own. The interesting part about her sequences was telling it in reverse. We first see her after the conviction, then immediately following the incident itself and then a number of scenes leading up to the incident. At this point, we have no idea what happened but it proved to be interesting enough that our curiosity was piqued and tension was high waiting for the big reveal.

Then we hear from the son, Jakob (Adam Scarimbolo), but of course he can't speak. And based on the handful of random, bizarrely shot, meaningless scenes, we can assume he doesn't understand much of the world around him.

Then comes the interesting part of the film – the victim's sequences. Paige Alexander (Hannah Hall) is, at times, an average college student. She's looking for a part time job, one that should advance her in her chosen career of social care. Young and inexperienced, Jakob's mother hires her to take care of Jakob a couple of hours a week because she seems honest and caring. The similarly inexperienced actress Hannah Hall (who got her start as the "young Jenny" in "Forrest Gump") will hopefully go far based on her powerful but extremely tender performance of a girl who was always just trying to figure out the right thing to do. And she more than held her own against the heavy-hitting Martindale.

Paige was an interesting character because she's figuring out just as we are figuring out what is going on. She has a cold respect for her parents but can't turn to them for help since they have lost touch with reality. Her friends haven't experienced what she has experienced and would be unable to offer advice. Paige is strong and independent, but she's forced into a situation where she's scared and alone.

Unfortunately, the problems for "Scalene" come when some of the actions venture far from credible or realistic and sympathy for the characters is all of a sudden hard to come by. But worse is the editing, and/or acting, in the revenge scenes. Characters are hit over the head and fall down the stairs in such a cheesy and artificial manner that it resembles a super low-budget, unintentionally funny, ridiculously stupid horror movie. It is better than that, but only when we've connected to the characters and we're following Paige waiting for the ultimate twist. Before and after that, the film loses most of its edge.

I saw this film at the private screening this past weekend in Indianapolis and left the theater sure that I had just seen what will be one of the best films of 2011. Scalene is the third film by director Zack Parker, though it clearly marks his entry into a whole new caliber of filmmaking. Inexchange (2006) and Quench (2007) were good films, but they were films nonetheless of a director still honing his craft. Scalene, however, is a film that after having seen, people will ask themselves, "why haven't I heard of this guy before?" It epitomizes the very best of what independent film can and should be. This was a low-budget film, but there is nothing about the production that would lead anyone to believe that it didn't have millions of dollars at its disposal. A higher budget would have only meant more expensive actors and crew, but certainly not better. In many ways this is a difficult time for independent filmmakers. The majority of films that now premiere at independent festivals have A-list stars attached to them which attracts audiences and money to the festivals, but makes it more difficult for first-rate productions, like this one, to receive the recognition and exposure they deserve. Often low-budget films don't interest the larger movie-going public because they expect that perhaps the professionalism of the production will be at a level below which they can appreciate or tolerate. Often this is the case. However, I challenge anyone to see this particular film and not come out of the theater with a new-found appreciation of what can be accomplished with relatively little money, but a whole lot of talent.

"Scalene" is a decent, crafty thriller, and I applaud its ambition to give its audience something psychologically complex to chew on. But it's also a case of a director not being up to the challenge he poses himself, and the result is a film that frustrates its audience, not because of its intentional ambiguity, but because it's at times downright confusing.

Margo Martindale plays a woman taking care of her mentally handicapped son. She enlists the help of a college student as a part-time caregiver. When the student begins to suspect that the son is being abused by the mother, she takes matters into her own hands and does something appalling in an attempt to protect him from further harm. The gimmick of the story is that it's told through three different perspectives -- the mother, the son and the caregiver -- each perspective in turn using a different chronology. The mother's story is told to us backwards, the caregiver's linearly, and the son's in a mixed up stew that is supposed to mirror his mental processes. The director has been on these message boards (or at least someone claiming to be the director) defending his film against charges that it's intentionally ambiguous. According to him, it's not ambiguous at all, and he points to the middle section of the movie, the part told through the son's point of view, as containing the key that makes the rest of the movie fall into place. After watching the film once and being a bit befuddled, I re-watched that middle section, and it does in fact bring some clarity to the film. But a better director could have helped his audience understand things on one viewing without sacrificing any of his artistic integrity. When re-watching a film gives you a greater appreciation for it, that's the sign of a well-made movie. When re-watching it simply clarifies some points that were too obscure to understand the first time through, that's poor story telling.

But "Scalene" does have a lot to recommend it, and it is thought provoking in its own modest way.

Grade: B+

When I first saw Scalene, I left the viewing with a big WOW!. Great independent film and kudos to the director, producer, writer and actors for a simple yet well arranged movie. The reverse story technique was a nice touch. Personally, I'm tired of those so-called mega-bucks movies made up of plenty of effects and little story to them. I found sympathy for the all the characters, particularly Paige, who went to lengths to do the things she had to do. The only thing I have some issues about is the ending, it could have totally been done full circle. I recommend Scalene for those who wish to leave the beaten path of Hollywood movies to enjoy a great piece of film-making.

The plot of this film is extremely ambitious and sometimes the director isn't up to par. I have a feeling he was going for noir, something hitchcockian, but it didn't quite work out that way.

I have to wonder, too, how this would look with a better budget. I enjoy the story, but it is also rather over the top and clearly pulling for your heart strings. Maybe a bit more kitchen sink realism would have helped.

I really like the ideas, but... like I said, it tries a little too hard in some areas. A bit overwrought. But good.

Regardless, a really riveting film. There was never a boring moment. Well, except for the scenes that were too drawn out. Other than that though, it was good.