Finally, Lillian and Dan (Gibbiser, 2008)

Lilian and Dan catch some sleep in this snoozefest of a film.

Keeping in tradition with the mumblecore movement, Finally, Lillian and Dan embraces the incessantly understated faux-documentary film-making style but lacks even the faintest cohesion or emotional authenticity. Mistaking minimalism for profundity, Gibbiser film is an exercise in futility and showcases a young director who clearly needs to find a new profession. Painfully dull and overlong despite its relatively short running time (1 hour and 37 minutes), there is not a single redeeming aspect and to recommend this film to anyone would be heresy.

Using extensive long-takes and very little camera movement, Gibbiser is persistent to capture the banality concerning the every-day life of his characters and succeeds in spades. Unfortunately for the viewer, watching disheveled characters sitting around doing nothing or interminably performing mundane tasks is aggravating. Hand-held cameras, grainy film-stock and choppy editing are deliberately employed as aesthetic tools to create a cinema-verite style of realism but it paradoxically detaches the viewer from engaging with anything happening on screen (consequently, nothing of substantial value). Clearly the mark of an amateur director and writer who lacks story ideas and has to resort to extending vapid scenes to fill empty screen-time. The emotional detachment of Gibbiser’s film-making style further alienates the viewer with scenes containing  social interaction between the characters. The conversations are often muffled and barely audible at times. Nonetheless,  the dialogue consists of  mumbling prosaic platitudes to the point of parody so it is not a total loss.

The story (or lack thereof) revolves around the odd relationship between a possibly autistic man named Dan (Jason Kean) and Lillian (Gretchen Akers), a shy office-clerk who lives with her grandma. They are both outcasts, lonely and unable to properly integrate themselves into society. Considering the film’s ambiguity, it would not be far-fetched to suggest that they both suffer from psychological disorders or happen to be escape mental patients based on their eccentric behavior. For instance, when we first meet Dan he is carrying around a large stuffed animal and wandering the streets aimlessly until he spots a beautiful woman at a cross-walk. He desperately wants to speak to her or perhaps even  rape her in a dark alleyway judging by his perturbed  facial expression. He begins to follow the woman but eventually gives up and turns around. Another one of his favorite past-times is driving around for no apparent reason and spending a frequent amount of time shopping at a grocery store where he eventually crosses paths with Lillian while waiting in line at the checkout-counter. They both exchange awkward glances and flirtations before going their separate ways.

Never fear, Lillian and Dan do meet again but this time under bizarre circumstances that are completely nonsensical. To highlight the ridiculous absurdity of the film, I must briefly outline their second chance encounter. Considering the complete lack of narrative structure, spoilers are a non-issue. Lillian decides to throw a birthday party but since having no friends, she decides to post public invitations via flyers in the lobby of the grocery store and around her neighborhood (such a clever way to illustrate her quirky personality and sense of alienation). Did it not occur to her that inviting random strangers to a birthday party could be potentially dangerous? Of course, Dan sees the advertisement posted on the grocery store bulletin and decides to attend. In a scene of perpetual stupidity, she sits in the middle of the road on top of a portable cooler waiting for her unsuspected guests to arrive. There is a table of food and traditional birthday balloons behind her. Under the false belief that he is a maverick filmmaker, Gibbiser keeps the camera focused on Lilian for close to three minutes as she sits there bored out of her skull, biting her nails and hoping that someone will show up to the party. Finally (oh, see what I did there?), a scruffy looking Dan shows up dressed in a dirty brown overcoat. He is carrying a tupperware of chicken that he accidentally drops due to nervousness of being in the presence of such a beautiful young woman. She laughs at his bumbling nature and then the scene eventually cuts to them peacefully driving along a stretch of highway. Seated in the passenger seat, Lillian is utterly content and shows romantic feelings towards this creepy looking fellow she just happened to meet and they are now going on a road-trip together. I kept wondering if there was a missing scene that was left on the cutting room floor that would help to explain her rash decision but of course, Gibbiser has eschewed  any sort of logical story-telling.

If the previous scene description is any indication, Lillian and Dan’s relationship is utterly unconvincing. Although Kean and Akers can’t be held totally responsible for their weak performances, they seem clueless in their roles and  lack any semblance of chemistry. They struggle to gauge their character’s motivations or desires throughout the entire film; either acting bored or preposterously neurotic in their scenes resulting in unintentional comedy. For instance,when Dan shows up at Lillian’s apartment to explain why he failed to meet her for breakfast the previous day, his apology of stuttering ramblings are cringe-worthy and laugh inducing in their melodramatic farce.

Perhaps I could forgive Gibbiser’s abomination as a poorly crafted student film but that would still be far too generous. It has become even more apparent to me how ephemeral life is having suffered from sitting through this juvenile and laughably horrendous piece of trash. Time is far too precious to waste. You can thank me later for saving almost two hours of your life.

0/10

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~ by falsesurmise on March 9, 2010.