Ripe

This film, alternately side-splittingly funny and stunningly bizarre,is destined to become a cult classic. It's difficult to decide if the filmmakers were wanting to make a seriocomic social commentary or just indulging a penchant for the outlandish. Either way, this is a movie that must truly be seen to be believed. After two viewings I can't really say whether I like it or dislike it, but I can certainly recommend it to viewers as a film unlike any other. Besides, if it airs on The IFC, it's got have something going for it, right?

There's no rule that says that true events necessarily seem real on screen. It's actually probably more difficult to make a realistic fictional film than to translate a tragic, but true, event to film. Mo Ogrodnik experiences this problem with his first fictional film, 1996's Ripe.

Based on an apparently true story of two fourteen year old girls who survive a car crash which kills their parents, Ripe is ostensibly about the bond between sisters and their different ways of dealing with the onset of adolescence. Both physically mature, the two girls run away from the accident and find residence at a military base, where they find a home with a long-haired biker. Out of tragedy comes further tragedy.

As evidenced by the film's poster (featuring Monica Keena's nymphet Violet biting into an apple), Ogrodnik, who got his start making documentaries, seems to think he has a provocative story of innocence lost and a fall from grace. The problem is that what he really has is a connection of completely unmotivated actions featuring a string of characters who are completely without depth. Keena's Violet is becoming interested in sex. Daisy Eagen's Rose is becoming interested in Violence. And Peter, the man who takes them in, is basically just there. He has no past and no dialogue to give any sense at all of who he is.

I guess the film has a nice look. Wolfgang Held's cinematography calls to mind the empty spaces and spare setting of Badlands, a slightly similar kinda-true story of innocence and violence. But the style is to service of nothing. The plot can't move because everything that happens either seems unbearably tacky (every scene involving the soldiers at the base is like a bad copy of every basic training movie ever made, from Biloxi Blues to Full Metal Jacket).

Keena (whose recurring role on Dawson's Creek marks the only time you would have ever seen any member of the cast) and Eagan give decent performances, but it's tough to get involved with the characters' internal lives because of the paucity of closeups. As Peter, Gordon Currie is fairly awful. He's given nothing to do and yet he still comes of only as shrill. He seems neither sympathetic, nor creepy and probably the film would like him to be one or the other. Basically he's a cypher.

Ripe is only marginally provocative and it produces no real emotion. As studies of young sexuality it's inferior to the underrated Adrian Lynne Lolita. And as a story of young girls made old before their time it pales in comparison to Manny and Lo.

I guess I'd probably give it a 3.5 outta 10 because I've certainly seen worse films, but I sure can't think of much to recommend it.

"Ripe" is one of those awful indies which manages to get into circulation and give indies a bad name. Telling a stupidly incongruous tale of pubescent twin sisters who crawl from a firey car crash which kills their parents and then hit the road while happily shoplifting, making goo-goo eyes at some guy, and ending up on an Army post so dilapidated no Army would want it (yeah, right!). An apparent attempt at a coming of age flick, "Ripe" is an almost complete loser which wanders aimlessly as the players drift in and out of character finally ending clumsily with nary a shred of credibility to be found anywhere. Not recommended for anyone.

Ripe is a story about two 14-year-old sisters who, in their immature view of the world, strike out for Kentucky because they think for some reason it's a beautiful place where life is easy. On their way, they get sidetracked and decide to stay a while at a derelict army base that bears no resemblance to any base I have ever seen. There is no security and no discipline.

The girls live with a long-haired guy whose job, it seems, is to run errands for the base.

The best part of this film is the acting by the two lead actresses. Unfortunately the characters they play have no redeeming features (nor does any other character). They are thieves with a penchant for violence. The writer/director makes it clear in the first scenes that violence is a part of their natures. Their only allegiance is to each other, and that allegiance is at risk as they grow up and they discover an outside world.

The main problem with the film is the writing. The film does not have a viewpoint, it just seems to record happenings, which are often bizarre. Whenever one of the two main characters has an opportunity to learn something, the story thwarts that possibility--unless you think that learning to shoot a gun is a significant learning experience.

I found the film emotionally flat and disappointingly pointless.

This movie was a complete letdown. By looking at the box and reading the back of it, you're expecting this to be somewhat of a skin flick, not so. The only real nudity was a rear shot of an army officer. The storyline for this was also quite stupid. Not to mention boring. I give it 2/10 stars.