Clocking in at a scant 63 minutes, PERIDOT is one of those rare films one wishes was longer. Written, directed, produced, and anchored by Shayne Pax, PERIDOT is a story about chosen family and the need for unconditional love and belonging as told through the story of a young street hustler named Gabriel. In its exploration of difficult themes, it manages to offer some quality moments. Unfortunately, these moments go largely undeveloped, a situation that could have been remedied with a longer runtime.
The film's brevity only allows for a stroll through the subject of prostitution. While PERIDOT doesn't glamorize sex work per se, it often fails to capture the essence of the human wreckage inherent in the pursuit. This despite its depiction of the drug-related death of one hustler played by actor Harry Haines, in a final performance before his own death from a fentanyl overdose.
PERIDOT tries to capture the grit of its subject matter, but Pax's approach and performance relies too heavily on the 'hooker with a heart of gold' cliché -- a narrative shortcut that dulls the film's otherwise gritty intentions. That might work in a romantic comedy, but it doesn't work particularly well here. If the goal was realism, it would have been better for the overall effort if PERIDOT played more like MYSTERIOUS SKIN and less like PRETTY WOMAN.
Perhaps a little more method might have helped with the central performance. Pax never overcomes his boy-next-door good looks and, as such, Gabriel never looks hard enough, strung-out enough, unwashed enough, or hungry enough to be fully convincing as a street denizen. Instead, he looks more like a high-end rent boy, and his stealing money from johns and books from stores doesn't compensate for this failure to visualize the realities of street life that can be seen clearly on a drive through any city's tenderloin.
Where PERIDOT succeeds is in the unique and original plot involving Gabriel's accidental relationship with Martha (Susan Moore Harmon), a successful author facing extraordinary difficulties of her own. It's in the scenes between Gabriel and Martha that the film gets truly interesting, and also where it leaves the audience wanting. This relationship is where the real story is, it's supposed to be central, yet there simply isn't enough of it.
The most exciting thing about PERIDOT is Pax's vision as an emerging filmmaker. When viewed in the context of his age and experience, it becomes a vastly more interesting work, and one looks forward to seeing what he could do with more experience and a full complement of resources.
PERIDOT may be slight, but its emotional ambitions suggest a filmmaker worth watching.
