Made for only $25,000 Gus Van Sant’s (Goodwill Hunting) gritty first feature from 1985 is nothing short of a cinematic joy. Shot in black and white with deep shadows and highly stylised framing, this is urgent passionate cinema brimming with creativity. You can watch this film and see hints of Van Sant’s later films, the time lapse clouds, countryside road scenes and street hustlers of My Own Private Idaho or the skid row locations and Beat influenced poetic language of Drugstore Cowboy. It’s definitely more experimental and more frenetically cut than these next two features, yet it is incredibly well shot with much flair and invention. It feels real. It’s also the beginning of his fascination with the down and outs, focussing on Walt, a young convenience store clerk in skid row with a fetish for Mexican boys. Johnny, a Mexican illegal who speaks no English awakens sexual, though also emotional feelings in Walt, though even the offer of money wont make Johnny come to bed. His friend Pepper however is more than willing to engage in a little mutual accommodation and when Johnny disappears, Walt and Pepper shack up together. It doesn’t sound like much yet Van Sant manages to tap into Walt’s pining for what he knows is unrequited love, also in the impenetrable distance between him and the Mexican immigrants. Van Sant populates the film with numerous down and out characters who you get the sense were just wandering around in the locations and shoots it hand held 16mm with a raw infectious DIY spirit. Debuts don’t come much more accomplished than this, it’s beat poetry put to cinema.
Extra Features:
A great little interview with Van Sant where he reflects on some of the techniques he was forced to use on Mala Noche due to budgetary constraints, getting down to three important lessons for filmmaking, no cutting, no stars, no scripts – except he’s lying because Mala Noche is cut with bewildering speed. There’s also a new Van Sant directed trailer for the film and an insightful audio commentary from academic Claire Perkins (Monash University).
-Bob Baker Fish
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