Static

Static is a well shot, fantastic story. Not a standard hollywood picture that deserves all of what little recognition it has. If you live in Chicago, you can rent it at Facets video rental. (They have some great rare movies) Mark Romanik has such a great visual eye. I anxiously await One Hour Photo.

I saw this film over 10 years ago, a few months before my father died. It was on late-night TV and I was fascinated by it - it remained in my mind, though at the time I didn't know how significant it would become. The general story dealt with a young man's "glimpse" of heaven through the static on his TV screen. A few months later, on the day of my father's funeral, I was sitting in my car with my son and my car radio appeared to "start up" without prompting; all I could get on the radio was "static noise". (This is all true.) I took this as a message from my father as the film had been so haunting in my mind. It wasn't frightening, but very comforting. The radio continued in this way on and off for a number of weeks until the car was scrapped. I extracted the radio itself and still have it now. I would love to see the film again and have tried on ebay without success. I can't remember much about the acting or direction, but surely the point of a good film is if it lingers in your mind? I haven't seen many films since then that have had this effect.

"Static" is the rarest of gems. I am glad Mark Romanek went on to make my alltime favorite music video (Nine Inch Nails' 'closer'), because had he not amazed me with that video, I probably would never have been interested in seeing "Static". When I finally did see this film, I was even more amazed at how great it truly turned out to be, and wondered why it was that I had to discover the film all by myself rather than it being directly recommended to me.

The story and directing is very captivating, as I soon found myself intently watching every second of the film to see what was going to happen next. Keith Gordon (who co-wrote the script with Romanek) was dead-on in his portrayal of Ernie Blick, an out-of-place young man in small town America with an obsession over his new 'invention'. It also took "Static" to turn me into an Amanda Plummer fan.

The movie's soundtrack alone is entertaining. No wonder Romanek went on to a career in music videos as he obviously has a wide knowledge of music. I mean, what can you say about a soundtrack that effectively includes songs from both The The and Elvis?

I can't help but believe that "Static" is one of the roots of today's massive independent film movement. All of the key elements to current popular indies can be found in "Static": limited budget, dark humor, a disturbed main character, psychologically-driven drama. The film's ending is original and surprising even by the standards of the modern 'twist-in-the-end' craze. What made me appreciate "Static" that much more is that it still didn't sit you down and spell everything out for you at the end with a narrated flashback montage (like too many movies do). Instead, it's up to you to figure all out yourself.

If you are a fan of today's popular independent films - especially Pi, Memento, or Donnie Darko - then please do yourself a favor and take a timewarp back to '85 to find out where these films originated from. See "Static".

Nowadays it seems indie festivals are the chic thing and filmmakers are trying too hard to get the status that winners of those "prestige" events get. If they would only look back to 1985 to a film like Static, they could learn a thing or two.

This film paces itself, and while never snappy, it uses its time wisely. While a melancholy mood prevales, we still are affected in many ways by the different characters we are introduced to.

The story is quite simple: A young man, not quite over the death of his parents, uses his skills as an inventor to come up with a device that may or may not monitor images of heaven. Through the interaction of several eccentric yet not exaggerated characters, they (and we) learn lessons about hope, desperation, and acceptance.

The film's use of desert landscape adds a lot to the feeling of loneliness (instead of film economics), the careful selection of songs for the soundtrack actually ties in with each scene--from songs by The The to Elvis! Keith Gordon obviously had a hand in that part, as with his choice of songs for his next film The Chocolate War. Goes to show you don't have to look for trendiness or a hit soundtrack to sell, which can date a film and make it lose its power over the years. Static was made in 1985 and hasn't lost an ounce of effectiveness.

There are so many little nuances that will have you hooked, from Ernie's collection of defective crucifixes to Ernie asking Julia why she kissed him: "'Cause you're a strange boy ...I wish I was more like you," it's brilliant. I've seen this film many times and it still has the power to hit me emotionally without fail every single time. I always have a really good cry when I see Amanda Plummer's last smile as she's driving.

Admittedly, films are a form of escapism and all don't have to be made exclusively for intellectual reasons, but when you want a story to touch you without trying to impress you with flavor-of-the-month stars and no "serious" documentary all ready to go for air on the Bravo network, this is the film to seek out. Static is a flawless example of what an independent film is all about.

After all these years, this is the one film that I cherish most and everyone I've suggested it to has admitted it stays in their minds. Without any dialogue to sum it up, the film's final lingering shot along with Amanda Plummer's thoughtful expression says so much more about feelings than any other film ever could!

An afterthought (2017): The fact that Romanek has disowned this film, calling it a "piece of juvenalia" as his first effort, makes me want to say he's being a pompous ass. One Hour Photo, while a decent enough film, was not as affecting as Static. Plus, giving away the ending of One Hour Photo right at the BEGINNING ruins the suspense, since we already know how it will turn out. Him wanting to call that his legitimate first feature is a huge mistake -- STATIC is much more important and meaningful.

I saw this about 15 years ago on late night television in the UK. Having seen John Carpenters 'Christine' a few weeks before I was curious about the expanded talents of Keith Gordon, and I was not disappointed. 'Static' is one of those films that never leaves the viewer. It's stark simplicity and realism has meant that everyday life keeps giving me 'flashbacks' to this movie. Even after all these years things are still very clear in my mind. Keith Gordons brilliantly understated performance and Amanada Plummer (in what must be one of her most controlled roles ever) capture the mood of the piece perfectly as one mans obsession builds to a devastating climax. The question of "was he right or crazy?" bears relevance beyond the confines of the film as we live a world where everyone, it seems, is guided to the point of blindness by their own beliefs and obsessions. Please ignore the shots of the kids in the alien masks on the advertising for this film. That is just another example of the distributor not having a clue what the film is really about.