Ambition

A young man (George Feaster) goes for a job interview in an office. One reeler from 1991 written and directed by Hal Hartley, which is a kind of dark version of Walter Mitty going all philosophical and getting depressed, with thoughts of emptiness, futility, and discussion of suicide and death. In this "dangerous and uncertain world" work and imaginary fights are a way to keep boredom at bay. Existentialist tinged, absurdist comic drama, featuring repetitive dialogue (and at times imagery), philosophising, and Patricia Sullivan.

Look, the man is an artist. His job is to understand the limits what can be done while at the same time embossing the world with his own shape.

This is trivial, heavy. That's because he works with cinematic reduction. He knows how to work with sex, at least facial sex which is the movie version. The most common cinematic reductions include violence. And he tries that. But it it already so abstract there is no room for another Hartley layer.

Ted's Evaluation: 2 of 4: Has some interesting elements.

Hal Hartley once outlined his objective as a film-maker as defining the essential - to reduce a narrative to it's core and purge all sundry and non-essential content. If this is indeed his manifesto, then it serves him well on Ambition, a film which achieves more unity and cohesion in it's 15 minute duration than most films achieve in 90.

Based around an artist whose modest ambition is seemingly only to be "good at what I do", the film charts his brief rise and fall with the same unemotional eye. Initially seduced by those who control art and celebrity for his unique identity and voice, he is to be discarded just as quickly.

He later finds himself attacked (quite literally) by two suited thugs who scorn his vision and drive - "I love New York because the most beautiful women in the World live there" - before concluding that he is beyond hope.

Stunning visuals, perfect dialogue and immaculate performances.

This is possibly Hal Hartley's greatest achievement.

Ambition is one of those Hartley shorts that you can look back on and say "what's all that about?!". A series of one-off philosophical statements that are strung together to add a voice to the central character and his motivation to live as he is literally beaten-up by the world at large. Personally I loved it, but then again I have loved all of Hartley's work. I can understand however, why some people hate it. If you are fortunate enough to catch "Surviving Desire" I suggest you keep watching for this short tacked on the end.

We see some of Hartley's trademark themes emerge once more, most notably the existential absurdity of life and the relentless human pursuit of recognition.

This time he adopts a distinctly more expressionist style: the film is characterized by marked exaggeration in both performance and visual style. Overacting is employed as a deliberate tool, perhaps serving to underscore the heightened emotional landscapes of the characters and to communicate the intensity of their internal struggles.

Actions and dialogues are echoed throughout the film, creating a repeated sense of inevitability and stagnation that enhances the absurdist feel.

However, this amalgamation of exaggerated performances and repeated motifs results in a labored flow, thankfully relieved by the brevity of the piece.