08/26/06 Crazy Love

Crazy Love (1987), directed by Dominique Deruddere

watched solo; DVD (borrowed from Jason) @ home; suggested by Jason; suggested by Jason

This film provided me with two relatively unknown variables in previous cinematic expertise...that of how well a Charles Bukowski novel was to translate to film (the only other one I've seen was however awesome, "Barfly"), and Belgian filmmaking. That's correct, this is a loose Belgian interpretation on one of the many sordid tales of Bukowski's anguished mind. I don't know how to fully explain the oddities and disturbing elements that unfold here, but suffice it to say that it is a unique telling of a coming-of-age story...partially biographical to Bukowski's early formative years, but completely metaphorical in its twisted conclusion. The story consists of three tumultuous nights in the life of awkward outsider Harry, who wants nothing more than to experience love. At an early age, Harry learns what he thinks is love through romantic movies of knights in shining armor saving the princess. This exploration for love is put into a adolescent context by his hormonal changes and the bad advice in sexual awakening by his best friend (who takes him to watch couples get it on, and teaches him about masturbation). All of the advice can't help him muster up the courage to ask a cute girl for a kiss, which will end up haunting his romantic searches in the future. The second night is a high school prom night, where Harry has grown up with a terrible acne problem that disfigures his face so others taunt him. The girl of his dreams won't even look at him, so he must devise a way to dance with her. With his best friend still beside him, he tries in vain to lose his virginity...only leading to disappointment and drunken stupors of regret. The final third night has both men all grown up, as down-and-out slackers with criminal pasts that happen upon each other in a bar. Their friendship rekindled, they take the pranks that they did as children to the ultimate shocking end...kidnapping a corpse for fun. Yeah, it's weird. Harry's lifetime search for love is realized in that morbid moment when he discovers the corpse to be a beautiful woman of his dreams...and he wants nothing more than to rescue that princess. The ending climax is bizarre and bewildering, and the entire journey to it in three momentous nights is very poignant. If it weren't for all of the sick expounding on a tragic love theme...it might have been even better. Seeing the documentary afterward describing the aesthetic the Belgian filmmakers were going for was interesting, and it included Bukowski himself. The acting was very good, and to be honest, the Belgian language is a mix of Dutch, French and a pinch of German (since Belgium is wedged between all of these countries, it makes sense)...but it all plays out with a lot in common to the English language. Maybe it was just me, but with the great body language and similar sounding speech, it was easy to get what was going on. It's just when those things going on meant necrophilia that it freaked me out. I don't know if that's a Bukowski or a Belgian thing, but it's wrong. Crazy and wrong. Now, one final thing to mention on this craziest of blog entries...I wanted to acknowledge my best friend Jason, for today is his birthday. He is the one who basically challenged me to this year-long quest, has helped put this page together...and well, been there through all of life's craziness. Thanks bro.

3 out of 5 stars