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Must-must-see movie
Riveting story of Jewish neo-Nazi airs Sunday
By Ethan Alter
If one good thing has emerged from the ongoing proliferation of cable channels, it's the host of new exhibition avenues now available to independent filmmakers.
While documentarians have been relying on cable as their primary outlet for some time now, it's only within the past two years that directors of narrative features have started to seriously consider it as an alternative to theatrical distribution.
This change in attitude is largely due to the complexities--not to mention the cost--of mounting a wide cinematic release in this era of mega-studios and multiplexes.
When it comes to generating box-office revenue, most independent films just can't compete with large-scale Hollywood products, which are backed by extensive ad campaigns and the support of the big exhibition chains.
The other reason that indie directors are now looking to cable is that the industry has done an excellent job of raising the quality of its programming. Channels like HBO and Showtime consistently produce original films and series that are as good, and in some cases better, than anything you can see in theaters or on network television.
After all, what filmmaker wouldn't love to be associated with the network that airs "The Sopranos?"
To demonstrate their commitment to independent film, HBO and Showtime have both made inroads to the hugely influential Sundance Film Festival. In fact, one of the most significant developments of last year's festival was high-profile director Allison Anders' ("Mi Vida Loca") decision to release her latest film, the flawed but powerful "Things Behind the Sun," on Showtime instead of in cinemas.
When a major name like Anders opts for cable over the theater, you know change is in the air.
Showtime also acquired broadcast rights to the 2001 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, "The Believer," which had been unable to find theatrical distribution due to its controversial subject matter.
More than a year after it debuted in Park City, "The Believer" will finally be screened for a wide audience this Sunday, March 17, at 8 p.m.
Anyone remotely interested in the state of American independent film should find a way to watch the premiere, not only to support the movie, but also to show the cable industry that this is a trend worth continuing.
It's not difficult to see why "The Believer" frightened off potential distributors.
The story of a child from a strict Jewish background who grows up to be a neo-Nazi skinhead, it's a raw and uncompromising film.
It's also highly uneven. Writer/director Henry Bean never satisfactorily addresses all the issues his script raises, and the production's low budget is often painfully apparent.
What ultimately makes the movie work is the astonishing performance of Ryan Gosling in the lead role of Danny.
This is a complex character, and the fact that Gosling, best known for his stint on "The All New Mickey Mouse Club," so clearly depicts his inner conflicts and contradictions is nothing short of extraordinary.
Gosling's performance has been compared to Edward Norton's fine turn as a neo-Nazi punk in 1998's "American History X."
Both actors do an excellent job fleshing out their characters (and they each make scarily convincing hate-mongers), but I give the edge to Gosling simply because he has more to work with.
One of "American History X's" biggest faults is that Norton really only gets to play before-and-after versions of his character. He's either a monster or a reformed citizen and the transformation from the first persona to the second is never clearly shown.
Danny, on the other hand, exists in a constant state of flux. For all his anti-Semitic rants ("I gotta kill some Jews" he tells anyone who will listen) he can never bring himself to completely sever his belief in God and the Torah.
Flashbacks to his days in yeshiva reveal the reason behind his sudden break with the institution of Judaism; as a student, Danny was continually frustrated with what he perceived to be the "weakness" of the Jewish people, and was not afraid to voice his opinions in class.
When one of his many arguments with his teacher spiraled out of control, Danny was expelled from school. Receiving little sympathy from his conservative family, he eventually found in Nazi culture the strength he believed was missing from his own upbringing.
There's a revealing moment early on in the film where Danny passes two African-American teenagers while exiting a subway station. As he brushes by them, he casually opens his jacket to reveal a red shirt emblazoned with the swastika. His face breaks into a satisfied grin as he sees the two youths instantly recoil from him. The symbol is his strength; with it he can win any battle, save for the one raging inside himself.
Bean's refusal to demonize Danny for his actions is one of the major reasons "The Believer" had so much trouble finding distribution.
After Sundance, the director set up several screenings for influential members of the Jewish community, many of whom expressed displeasure with the character's ambiguities. One of the film's chief critics, Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, has been reported as saying "You never really know much about him by the end of the film. You want some meaning. You want to know why, what motivated him."
While Rabbi Cooper has denied actively campaigning against the film, his negative reaction was enough to keep distributors at bay.
What these critics fail to realize is that although the film does not end with Danny "seeing the light" and repenting his ways--the actual finale is far more complex and compelling than that--it is clear to attentive viewers where his loyalties lie. For evidence, one need only look at the film's best and most wrenching sequence, in which Danny's gang vandalizes a synagogue late at night.
At first, he hangs back, watching his friends toss around prayer books and overturn seats. Then one of the skinheads climbs onto the bimah and removes a Torah scroll from the ark. Danny immediately yells at him to put it back.
An argument ensues and another of the skinheads begins tearing at the scroll. Fortunately, Danny intervenes before he is able to rip it completely in half. He watches the group leave and then carefully rolls the Torah back up and carries it out with him.
In a later scene, we seem him trying to patch the tear up with tape.
Even if you are not Jewish, this is a difficult scene to watch.
Bean stages the action so realistically that your heart leaps into your throat when the skinheads set upon the Torah (in reality, the director worked with an experienced technical advisor to make sure no damage was inflicted on the actual scroll).
But it speaks volumes about the character; after this incident, Danny comes to realize that the Nazi paraphernalia he surrounds himself with are just empty symbols.
What gives them life is belief in the cause, which he does not and cannot possess. Even if he disagrees with the institution of Judaism, the religion's core values are always with him. He is a believer in the faith and that is both his blessing and his curse.
March 15, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
-Ethan Alter is a New York writer and a contributor to Media Life.
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