White Rabbit

Hm, yes the target audience for this one is going to be tight. But if the title fits you, or if you somehow associate with the character of the quintessential misunderstood artist on the verge of a nervous breakdown, then this will be a real treat.

We follow 2 weeks in the life of "Sophia" (Vivian Bang) who is a freelance performance artist in LA. Or as she explains to her mother, "I make things you can't sell." Over the course of 2 weeks we witness her professional crisis, relationship crisis, and an overall life crisis in a very quirky and personal way. Although imdb lists this as a comedy drama, don't expect any gags, punchlines and LOLs because it's not that kind of comedy. It's more like the comedy of real life where there's no laugh track to our disasters, but objectively looking at it, it's just strange enough to be funny.

The interesting angle is that Sophia is a 1st generation Korean American who is trying her hardest to spin a racial discussion even though none exists. For example, one of her routines is a dramatic monologue about the LA riots and the media's coverage of black-on-Korean violence. Yes, 15 years prior. As such, her audience (people in the park) react with a mix of lukewarm politeness and complete disregard.

As the story unfolds, we see a similar attitude she has in her relationships (fabricating drama that doesn't apply). And ultimately we realize that Sophia is the perfect personification of passion without direction, or perhaps "sound and fury signifying nothing". But we are instantly hooked, wondering if this girl will pull herself together or if it'll end in disaster.

I thought the acting was fantastic all around, with real world type dialogue (such as people talking over each other, or not necessarily finishing sentences) that gives this film a very personal and familiar flavor, as if we're hanging out with friends.

There aren't too many flicks like this, but I might group it alongside other quirky dramas like "Punch Drunk Love" or the obscure 2009 gem called "(untitled)".

The lead actor clearly has talent, but everything else about this production screams amateur. Constant issues with focus, machine gun repetition of the word like, and woeful casting (are we really meant to believe he's her boyfriend?) places left this unwatchable. The first 5 minutes should really let us know what the protagonist has to overcome, but this fell short of even that. This was a thankfully shorter film that in essence amounted to watching a woman on her phone and go about her daily life. A filmed blog. The lead actor should go far, she has an abundance of talent, the soundtrack was also first rate but misplaced more often than not.

Greetings again from the darkness. You have probably not met anyone like Sophia. I certainly haven't. She's a Korean-American performance artist who uses various personalities/characters in her "act". She also lives alone in Los Angeles, and bikes everywhere ... collapsing after a full day that consists of some mixture of delivering public diatribes, crafting her latest bizarre YouTube video, fulfilling her current TaskRabbit assignment, or trying to connect with a fellow human being - one that's not someone else's toddler requesting a horseback ride.

Sophia is played by Vivian Bang, who also co-wrote the script with director Daryl Wein (co-writer with his now-wife Zoe Lister-Jones of LOLA VERSUS). Ms. Bang is herself a performance artist, so we can assume much of this is cultivated from her daily life. As Sophia explains to her mother in one scene, "It's not art that people can buy." We first see Sophia screaming silently into the portable P.A. system she totes around while sporting a snow white wig and white jump suit. She is standing in the middle of a grocery store and then proceeds to tell "her" story about immigrating to this country (it's a story, but not really hers). The shoppers mostly ignore her. You might question why she is screaming silently or why she picks a grocery store (or public park) as a venue. The answers unfold slowly.

Sophia has multiple interactions with Victoria (Nana Ghana), an African-American photographer of roughly her same age. The two women hit it off, with Sophia being very attracted to Victoria. As their friendship builds, and "signs" possibly misconstrued, Sophia admits to learning English by watching John Hughes movies - explaining her Valley Girl accent and overuse of "like" (a disservice to Molly Ringwald). The chemistry between the two actresses is terrific and we actually would have enjoyed a bit more, especially after yet another bombshell rocks Sophia's world.

An awkward movie audition, the use of cheese puffs and powdered sugar for YouTube videos, and a misplaced confrontation with a former lover/partner all lead us to better understand Sophia (and Ms. Bang) seeking validation of her work. On a couple of occasions she says "Can you hear me?" We might be trying, and Ms. Bang might have something of value to offer, though this film merely offers a tease. We sense there are similarities to the very talented Miranda July, only with differing missions. The excellent soundtrack is an added plus, and we will just have to sit quietly (without screaming) to see where this takes Vivian Bang.

I know this isn't Vivian Bang's story, per se, but the director's notes at Sundance indicated that White Rabbit is heavily influenced by her life as an LA performance artist. I wish it was even more specifically her story, cause what we have here is, unfortunately, a film that unfolds in a very predictable fashion. A complaint I often level at "historical" films---why am I able to predict what's going to happen next in what should be a wildly unique tale? I shouldn't. The same applies here. Ms. Bang is undeniably talented but she deserves better. She will do better. She is far and away the best thing about this movie. Everything else seems hackneyed and familiar and bargain basement, even by indie standards. The rest of the cast seems like friends of the director or friends of Vivian or random people who were grabbed off the street. I didn't find that charming. I'm ready for a nuanced film about "the other" experience. The hammer to the head and the over-the-top obviousness of the oppression render the criticism toothless. It's a shame, cause the problem is real. Nothing new is illuminated here.

After reading some user reviews, it appears people were expecting a full on comedy? A sweet ingénue? Perhaps they were misled by a trailer I did not watch?

Either way, this is an intimate slice of life type of film, where we follow our main character as she struggles to find her place as an artist and person, making authentic connections, and her lack of direction in her life. There's no narrative structure per se and that works well enough.

The lead actress had a magnetic presence which made me connect with the story. This might not be everyone's cup of tea but it certainly worked for me.