The Alley Cat

The plot for "The Alley Cat" is one that I thought I could never like. After all, what do I care about a renegade bicycle messenger race?! It's certainly not the sort of movie I'd ever seek out and the only reason I saw the movie was because it was at a film festival and I wanted to see the films playing against it even less! On top of that, the filmmaker, Marie Ullrich, had never written or directed a feature film. So I knew I'd hate it. Yet, amazingly…I didn't!

The first half of the film shows a bunch of young hipster-ish bicycle messengers meeting on the Chicago streets at night for some bizarre annual competition. It's all unofficial…and dangerous considering they are riding late at night. And, during the course of the race, they all had to do different tasks at each checkpoint… and most of these involved drinking a lot of alcohol! Again, a recipe for disaster…but somehow in the past it all worked out fine….but not this year. Tragedy strikes….and that leads to the second half where the camera follows Jasper (Jenny Strubin). How this affects her as well as her complicated back story is what I loved about the film. Through the course of the movie, Ullrich slowly gives clues to the audience…very slowly…about what Jenny is going through and this really impressed me. Rarely have I heard so little about someone…yet was able to piece together much of what they are going through in this film.

Overall, this is a very inventive and creative picture that was absolutely riveting. It featured a very interesting cast, some amazing camera work (considering much of it's done on bikes at night!) and makes me want to see more from these people! See this film if you can.

I'll rewatch the corniness of Breaking Away, Quicksilver, or American Flyers any day, but The Alley Cat is miles apart and my favorite in the genre. It's got a fresh realism, real heartache, and mystery. I worked as a messenger in Chicago for a while, and the cycling scenes are as accurate as they need to be. Wonderfully and energetically shot. See this film!

While many cycling films focus on the moment and the thrill, and The Alley Cat certainly contains copious amounts of action, its backbone are consequences and regret. This is a tragic tale that will leave you thinking about the final scene for days.

A lone bicyclist pedals in slow motion, light reflections glisten off rotating spokes, as beside the rider, city lights reflect off shop windows, themselves reflected off shop windows. The first thing you notice is the profound filming technique. The Alley Cat is illuminated with artistic precision, using insightful application of light, shadows, and color, the scenes are inviting, sometimes enchanting, and the city is vibrant. Bicycling has never looked so good. The opening riding scene is intermixed with a brief emotional and engaging discussion between two woman. We don't yet realize that the films protagonist, Jasper, is being introduced and partially defined in this brief prelude.

Next we see Jasper, a Chicago bicycle courier intently riding, this is not only a statement of her job, but also of her culture. Bike Couriers have become a fringe culture, centered around people who love and excel at bicycling. It is young, dangerous, low pay and physically demanding. Couriers closely bond via shared experiences, dangers, honed skills, and shared physical activity, much like a sports team, or military unit.

The film primarily occurs in two halves, the race-and the post race ride, both largely, and masterfully defined via bicycling. The film name derives from a bike race created by couriers, racing through city streets to check points. The race serves as a backdrop for presenting Jasper's choices and the rigid dilemma created by them. Events during the Alley Cat race will play a vital role in triggering the second half of the film - post race. As Jasper rides, we 'hear' her narrating her thoughts. Ullrich brilliantly captures the introspective nature of bicycling here, allowing generous time to filming the act of riding. Her choice of actress, Jenny Strubin, makes a perfect fit. Strubin has a compelling screen presence, is intense, often serious, and contemplative. Strubins role is often essentially that of a silent actress, conveying her emotions via expression, here she excels at the difficult task.

Between the race and post-race segment, we experience significant changes in illumination. During the race, when all is bright and glittery, and post-race, darkness prevails. Following the Alley Cat race, Jasper's face is almost consistently shrouded half in darkness.

While Jasper presents a sympathetic character, she is not without fault, we see that she is suffering in her dilemma. Yet while she is the victim of her circumstances, she is also the author of them. Jasper struggles with hard emotional issues. Yet she cannot fully recognize her own flaws, so she relives them ride after ride, never seeing the full truth that is spoken to her.

With all it's ramifications, Jasper has unintentionally become the resolute and complete cyclist. Her existence, her very DNA resounds with riding, human interaction has become secondary. Time and again, she makes excuses in order to avoid people in favor of riding. She routinely neglects meaningful contact even those she would most wish to bond with.

The story is brilliant in it's logic and understanding of human nature, of the exuberance of riding, human frailty, of human interaction and self actualization.

But there are some story flaws, a side plot of a race-cheater is hinted at,yet never brought to fruition. Other than Jasper, most characters are thinly defined, some, almost literally, are props in a race. Jasper's lone post-race ride treads finely between the intended drama and a caricature of a dystopian 'Wizard of Oz'-like journey, with a series of strange, yet unpleasant, encounters along the way. Of course that is not to say there are filming flaws. I don't like to mention budget as a factor in film quality, but this film clearly transcends budget significantly. This is not 'four people in a room talking' or a 'monologue in a car' as so many lower budget films are. This has a large rich cast, vast amounts of movement in a wide ranging area. It is a full road movie, and no budget could improve the filming. That said, it certainly would be interesting to see what Ullrich could do with a multi-million dollar film fund.

All in all, Marie Ullrich's 'The Alley Cat' is spectacular, animate, living art, she has done an amazing job of portraying the feel and introspective nature of bicycling, she's created a character who will haunt the imagination long after watching and re-watching the film. Jasper becomes one of those iconic figures, like Mad Max, Solomon Kane, Hyakkimaru, who run on endlessly to fight their monsters.

The best part of Alley Cat is the actual Alley Cat Race and immediate aftermath that takes place for about the first half of the film. At about 30 minutes, that alone could have made this an excellent, fun, and exciting short film. The cinematography of the race and bike riding scenes are excellent. The DP has a great eye for visuals and language of film.

However, the remainder of the film is poorly constructed and loses all the momentum post-race. There is little dialog in the film, and what dialog is present is rather terrible. You never really learn much about the main character, Jasper. It is heavily implied that the niece she keeps talking about is her daughter, but that is never actually revealed. In fact, the final line of the film completely ignores all prior setup for that reveal. You don't learn anything about the other characters in the bike race itself.

As I said, this could have been a great short film. If she wanted to create a longer film, then she should have added about 20 - 30 minutes more material. Introduce us to characters before the race begins. Let us learn more about Jasper, her motivations, and why this race is important (maybe she needs the money). And tighten up the relationship between Jasper, her niece, her sister, and why her brother-in-law is so hostile to her.

The saddest part is there was real potential here to be a great indy film about alley cat bike racing.