Sebastian St. Germain (David Boreanz) is a struggling writer who isn't familiar with Becket (the writer of "Waiting for Godot"). This angers his host, the opera fanatic Jon Vandermark (Alan Cumming). When Sebastian can't make any payments and his writing career appears to be going nowhere, Jon takes drastic measures to get even.
This is a first film for writer Tom Gallagher, and is directed by the star, Alan Cumming. The writing and acting is excellent. For the right people, this film is going to hit home. I personally enjoyed it, and my girlfriend was liking it as well, despite not generally being a fan of movies. Where the film runs into snags, I fear, is the subject matter.
The dialogue is very heavy with references to Becket, various operas, and other pieces of literary and "high" culture. By no means do I consider myself sophisticated, but I do have a basic background in the liberal arts. I am not sure if those with less interest in literature or the arts would take much liking to the movie. The plot is pretty basic, and Boreanz is an amazing actor (Cumming is great, too). But without the dialogue, the film falls somewhat flat -- particularly in a scene where Sebastian is quizzed on a variety of topics, such as Jack Kerouac.
I would like to give the film a second viewing now that I know where it ultimately goes, and if possible get more insight from the creators. I feel the film is meant to be very deep despite being a relatively simple storyline. If there's some deeper sense, I have missed it. Perhaps it is an homage to some great literary work? This would be appropriate, but if so it was over my head.
I recommend this film for horror and thriller fans, although you won't get much in the way of gore or many scares. It's more of a violent drama. (The film is classified as "horror" or "black comedy", but it's hard to fit it neatly into either slot.) If nothing else, this film is worth your rental... you may be surprised where it goes.
