The Civilization of Maxwell Bright

I saw this film at the Milwaukee International Film Festival Oct. 2005. The director/writer warned us it was dark and that we could laugh. And that it was. The time just flew by while we watched the movie, which makes me feel like I didn't waste my time. Max has a lot of issues in this movie. He's a jerk. But somehow, at the end, you're OK with him being that way. I don't want to give away anything. There is nudity and there is a ton of swearing and touchy subject matters, this is not a movie for anyone who dislikes those things. I liked all the casting and the writing/plot was interesting. Didn't see the twist coming. I don't know if Milwaukee received a bad copy (is that even possible anymore?), but the film quality had a bit to be desired. Some bad sound areas and some weird stuff on the film itself, maybe that can be repaired once the film is picked up. I wish them luck!! Patrick Warbarton was in the theater for the viewing. He was very nice.

The movie starts out with a long shot of a nun meditating at a temple and a voice-over: "A good Buddhist would be willing to jump into hell to save just one other person." Then it cuts to a picture of a Southern California town with a big caption: "HELL".

I thought this movie was going to be an amusing comedy about a boor who gets his expectations of a submissive, doll-like mail-order bride turned upside down. He does, but rather than being comedic this movie is dramatic and touching. Maxwell Bright starts out as a guy who is self-destructing and losing everything in life - his business, his friends, his house, his self-image. He thinks he can buy a "geisha girl" who will prop up his ego, but what he gets is a quietly strong woman who both makes him realize what humiliating depths he's sunk to, and pulls him out of them.

It seems like a low-budget production because the camera work is a bit choppy and the pacing is terrible - slow bits should be fast and fast bits should be slow - but the writing and acting are great.

I wanted my husband to come to the Scottsdale Film festival to see this movie with me, thinking it was going to be a chick flick; hoping he'd see a few images of chauvinistic men seeing the light and then turning themselves around, (I love those gentle reminders). Instead my mother and I went and we rode an emotional roller-coaster during this "enlightening" movie. We Laughed, we cried, we loathed.... the movie was so unpredictable!! (It was a breath of fresh Hollywood air.)

Mai Ling was an inspiration. Her performance was beautiful, as was she. It ended up being me who was reminded of compassion and kindness. Patrick Warburton was fantastic... I hated his character so much initially I wanted him to die, and by the end of the movie my heart did a 180!! Well done David Beaird!!! This was definitely one movie worth the price of admission.

The film starts off with a disclaimer stating that a true Buddist would sacrifice to live their life in hell so that another would be spared the same fate. This is followed by an opening scene that could have been taken from COPS or a really bad porno flick. It quickly emerges that Maxwell is a profane, mentally unstable misogynist who makes his living hawking TV's on TV in Southern California. His collection of pitiful friends and his materialist lifestyle are even more pathetic than his abominable anger at everything and everyone. For the first two acts, it seems a black comedy that is heading down a clichéd path toward ignominy. Maxwell's behavior is so disturbing and contemptible, you may even be tempted to leave the theater, but a story of love and sacrifice emerges that you may never forget. Maxwell's life is ultimately changed when he is able to see life differently through the eyes of both his best friend and his wife, a Chinese woman who he has arranged to marry through a broker. This film will leave you with profound emotions and may even change your life.

A plot synopsis of this film has been provided by at least one other reviewer, so I'll skip that. What was striking and refreshing about the film was its refusal to get psychological. I don't think anyone can watch this--especially the first 15 minutes--without wondering where Max's incredible anger comes from. It would have been tempting for the writer/director to include some sort of exposition of his childhood and/or his relationship with his mother and other women, either as flashback or monologue. Instead, what you see is what you get. Max is infantile and uncivilized (as the title implies) and no bones are made about it.

Still it's tempting to speculate. For example, one wonders if his life became chaotic after the loss of his initial girlfriend--the one we get a very good look at in the beginning--or if it was always like that. Does the absence of unconditional love throw his life into nihilistic disarray, or does he just require a girlfriend to keep his house clean? Why does Mei-Ling accept him twice, the second time after he's humiliated her horribly*? Does she see a big teddy bear in there or is she taking him on as a project? I see this as a strength of the film. Too much psychologizing feels like condescension. "Here. Let me explain every motive the characters have because I'm sure you're not sharp enough to think about them on your own." This is an excellent and powerful film, which ultimately imparts a sense of tenderness and peace without ever becoming mawkish.

*After having thought about it and, thanks to comments from other viewers, I have a theory about this question. If a Buddhist would enter hell in order to save another person from it, Mei-Ling continued to accept Max in order to take his place in hell. Perhaps the Buddhists know that such an act will redeem them both.