Film Description
| BAGHEAD | ||
| Director: | Jay and Mark Duplass |  |
| Country: | USA | |
| Year: | 2008 | |
| Language: | English | |
| Runtime: | 84 minutes | |
| Rating: | 18A | |
| Principal Cast: | Ross Partridge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig, Elise Muller, Jett Garner, Anthony Cristo | |
| Trailer: | View the trailer for this film | |
| SCREENING TIMES | |||
| Saturday, November 8 | 9:15 PM | Palace Cinemas | |
Like a blast of fresh air, Baghead has warmth and innovation, and the mischievous good sense to subtly make fun of the type of film that it is. And what type of film is it? It's essentially part of the "mumblecore" sub-movement, featuring hand-held cameras, semi-improvised dialogue, and directionless hipster characters in their twenties. It's the work of brothers Jay and Mark Duplass, whose Puffy Chair beguiled audiences a few years ago.
The Duplasses stay behind the camera this time but give us four of their kindred spirits as characters. Matt and Catherine are long-time on-and-off romantic partners; Chad and Michelle have been dating a few months, though Michelle thinks of Chad as more of a brother or pal. In fact, she has a thing for Matt. All four are struggling Los Angeles actors. When we first meet them, they're at a small film festival enduring We Are Naked, a pretentious art flick made by a friend of theirs. Inspired by his relative success, the four retreat to a cabin at Big Bear Lake to spend the weekend writing their own screenplay that they can produce and star in themselves.
Matt is the de facto commander of the group, with leading-man looks and some measure of ambition. Catherine is slightly aloof and less fun than the rest, while Michelle is bubbly and flighty and Chad is the chubby comic relief. In other words, the dynamics of the group strongly resemble what you'd find in a typical low-budget indie comedy. Michelle has a weird dream the first night at the cabin in which she is stalked by a man wearing a bag over his head. Matt thinks this is a terrific premise for their film and sets out to write it as a thriller. Meanwhile, Michelle tries to put the moves on Matt without Catherine or Chad finding out. But a question lingers: Did Michelle merely dream about Baghead, or is there really a man with a bag on his head prowling the woods?
And so one of the unexpected charms about Baghead is that it has elements of a cabin-in-the-woods horror flick, along with its more ordinary delights. The low-key comedy that passes among the four friends is witty and natural, obviously the product of familiarity - not just that the characters know each other, but that the actors do, too (or at least are good at faking it).
Eric D. Snider - Cinematical
