Crush
Until recently, New Zealand hadn’t really been put on the film making map until the rise of Peter Jackson began with his New Zealand Film Commission funded BAD TASTE in 1989.
Until recently, New Zealand hadn’t really been put on the film making map until the rise of Peter Jackson began with his New Zealand Film Commission funded BAD TASTE in 1989. In 1992, on the back of this success, they backed a film called CRUSH that was directed by a first time feature filmmaker Alison Maclean. It concerns two friends, one from New Zealand and the other from the US, who are on their way to interview a rising author. On route, and after discussing what the interviewer will do to him, or had ‘done’ to her I should say, they have a car crash. Christina, the writer and native, ends up in hospital in critical condition. The other, Lane, from the US and on holiday, decided to take on the role of Christina and goes to meet the author in question, called Colin. He has a daughter, Angela, who is easily influenced and looking for company. Lesbian overtones then over take the film, until Lane meets with Colin. They quickly begin an affair, which upsets Angela. Angela then starts to visit Christina in the local hospital and commences to find out who Lane is. Obviously jealous and you could say with a crush on Lane, Angela starts to come between her father and her new lover. After a period of recovery for Christina and a few twists and turns, Angela then takes Christina back to their house to look after her. Christina, now brain damaged, still appears to hold a grudge against Lane for not visiting her in hospital and taking over the author’s life, which has left her to undergo the pangs of jealousy. She is hatching a plot though, which although seemingly coming from nowhere succinctly ends the film.
It is very noticeable that the story differs from conventional storytelling in as much as we are not always clear about any of the characters motivations, which makes it very difficult to emotionally invest in the unfolding events. The film has a dark tone, most clearly in its Cinematography, which moves backwards and forwards between the characters. Without any kind of emotional through line, we end up following the plot as it unfolds and the more involved it becomes the more time seems to drag. On the welcome commentary on this DVD, the director acknowledges this and highlights that a lot of what is taking place is taking place in the fringes of the film and that the motivations are left unexplained, like they are when we meet people in real life…as we do not immediately know what drives the people we associate with until long after forming our bonds. In real life this is a fair observation but in a fictional world this lack of any emotional investment is problematic and alienating.
The film itself though isn’t all bleak though, there are definitely moments of black humour that are mined. On one side Lane, who was like a black widow at the start of the film, undergoes a transformation and attempts to get in touch with life around her. Angela, the daughter, goes from tomboy to caring, responsible and a dutiful mother/daughter. Colin, moves from being a weak single dad to being infatuated with Lane’s frivolities. And finally, Christina, goes from being a journalist with a promising career, to a brain damaged, jealous murderer. Although some of these character arcs are good in theory, CRUSH never really manages to pull the strands together in a way that makes psychological sense (in a film world anyway).
The film does look good though and the sound (it its original 2.0 Stereo) is also notable for not over flooding the senses. The DVD reproduction faithfully does justice to both these elements, leaving the viewer to watch the film as it was intended, albeit, not on the big screen, where the power of a film can more often than not be felt. On this occasion, in the confines of my own home and on a small screen, the film’s power didn’t work on me. In fact I couldn’t wait for it to finish and to be even more honest than that, I couldn’t care less what happened to any of the characters. The acting was pretty poor all round. Even Marcia Gay Harden, who plays the American, appears out of place, even though she is clearly the talent on display in front of the camera. Willian Zappa who plays Colin is almost a non-entity. Why anyone would have an affair with someone so bland and boring as he is beyond this reviewer. Donogh Rees, playing Christina, after she gets brain damaged, offers a performance somewhere around the level of a child in a school playground mimicking the first handicapped child they have seen. When CRUSH was made in 1992, standards were much higher for playing these types of important roles, especially after Daniel Day Lewis and his Christy Brown in MY LEFT FOOT, so it must have been clear that this performance wasn’t solid. However, maybe this impression arose only because I already had an aversion to the film and was looking for fault…who knows.
EXTRAS
INTERVIEW WITH ALISON MACLEAN (21 Mins)
With the worst part of the DVD over with, we can now focus on the positives. The first solid extra is this interview with the director by Alison Pomeranz in 1993, after the film’s release. Pomeranz, who appears a genuine fan of the film, asks a series of insightful questions that illicit illuminating answers. Maclean outlines that she went to both the Sundance writer and director workshops when working on this film, which was important because she hadn’t been to film school before making this and had only previously made one short film. She informs us that she is not a natural writer and that the film became a technical exercise to make it work. She also discusses the genesis of the film, which was her own trip in the USA with an American friend. Most importantly she also illuminates on the metaphor of the American character being in New Zealand, saying that the film on this level is about how a small country like New Zealand can be seduced by US culture and the negative effects that this can have. In light of this, Christina pushing Lane (the US character) of the edge of a mountain has another meaning which is admirable. Without giving you a blow by blow account of this extra, it is worth watching and for fans of the film this will be very welcome indeed.
COMMENTARY WITH ALISON MACLEAN AND MARCIA GAY HARDEN
This is another worthy addition to this DVD release. It is an honest commentary about real life and the characters on screen. As mentioned in the review, the characters were implausible to me but this commentary between the director and lead actress explains many of the reasons why I may have perceived it this way. Not least by the fact that the director wanted all the main character motivations to exist on the fringes of the film. Gay Harden discusses her preparation for the film and what it was like to work in New Zealand, as well as the things that she likes or those that she wished she had done differently. Maclean also wishes that Colin’s character had not been written so weakly and that he had some backbone…a decision that could have given the film a much stronger feel. Maclean discusses how the film was received at Cannes, the crew members (a few of whom later went on to help and win Oscars for LORD OF THE RINGS), the Sundance workshops she went on, and the practicalities of making a film in general. In summary, the commentary is good and adds a lot to the film. For fans of the film who like this kind of important break down of a film, via a commentary, you will not be disappointed with this one.
OVERALL
The film is difficult to invest in, so I guess it is hit or miss whether you like it or not. Those who do rate this film rate it highly and they will be very pleased to hear about the two solid extras that this DVD has. The interview is illuminating and adds a critical edge to the film. The commentary, whilst unavoidably treading on some of the interview issues, adds much to the film and its characters, as well as providing many discussions on the process of filmmaking, both specific to CRUSH and in general. It is hard for me to recommend the film because it is the worst part of this package…but for those out there who like this film and want to know more, this is the perfect gift for yourself.
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