The Transcendents

Everyone talk about the movie being about a band without playing music, but they missing that it's about addiction without showing drugs too. The main characters all fall into a spell of abuse but we only see it mentally and how self destruction takes over. But thankfully we never see the drugs. Im sick of seeing actual needles and people doing drugs. Good flick. Definitely not a pause and break away from movie. Must watch in one sitting.

The critic reviews point to this being Lynchian or even a horror film. It's not. It's a drifter film with the actor Rob Franco as the drifter. He gives a very weird performance that reminded me of 80s Rourke; in particular Rourke in the film Homeboy. Franco is dangerous and combustible. And he holds the film together in the second act - which is the only somewhat problematic act in the film. It still works, but compared to the high stakes absurdity of the first act and the beautiful sonata that is the third act, the second act underwhelms a bit. But that's only a minor quibble. The rest of the cast is terrific and the score is brilliant. I wish I could buy he score.

Watch this movie for the brilliantly performed monologue by the great Savannah Welch. It's the culmination of a character's descent in depravity. Like pealing away the layers of an onion. It's wonderfully written and the director really allows Welch to do her thing with an extremely long push in that stays at this insane close on her depraved face as she sets up a totally cathartic final act of the film.

It feels like a lot styles are bouncing off of each other in this film. It's a comedy but it's sad. It's a revenge story but it's not violent. It's colorful yet muted. It's extremely slow at points and jaggedly fast at others. I've watched it twice just to make sure that all this was done on purpose. It feels as though it was. Different camera styles is a choice. Lens', framing, lighting and editing were choices. The fact that it's a rock n roll band but there's no rock n roll, but rather opera as a soundtrack is a choice. So with that said, I at least know there's a reason I'm supposed to be watching what i'm watching. But there's just something that's a little off about it. I can't place it. Nonetheless, i'd definitely recommend the movie to people that like weird movies.

I rented this from the local library and don't know why it was in the "rock doc" section. It's not a documentary at all. There's not even any of the fictional band's music in it. I was actually looking for the new Go Go's documentary. I guess the fact that there wasn't the band's music in it was smart, because the score is lush with an old school western vibe. And since the plot is a revenge plot, I see why the choice of western was made.

Anyway, the movie is actually very good. It's creepy and surreal. Even the casting was surreal. Like outside of Valentine from the Go Go's, I feel like I saw every other actor in a different strange indie or something. Sure enough, after I looked them up, they were in other strange films that i'd seen. Good casting.