Tape

With guest director Richard Linklater and actor Ethan Hawke

Trailer Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGC2t4adVyA&feature=youtu.be

USA, 2001
Director: Richard Linklater
Screenwriter: Stephen Belber
Cinematographer: Maryse Alberti
Editor: Sandra Adair
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Robert Sean Leonard
Running Time: 86 minutes

Based on a three-character, one-act play, Tape is set in Room 19 of a seedy motel in Lansing, Michigan. Here we meet Vince (Ethan Hawke), a drug dealer and volunteer firefighter from Oakland, in town to support his old high school friend’s entry into the Lansing Film Festival. His friend, Jon (Robert Sean Leonard), a documentary filmmaker, joins him to reminisce about their high school years. Slowly, they reach the subject of Vince’s old girlfriend, Amy (Uma Thurman), with whom they both have a complicated history. The night takes a sharp turn when, after pushing Jon to admit to a possible date rape of Amy, Vince announces he has recorded their conversation. To add to Jon’s horror, Vince reveals he has invited Amy to join them for dinner that night.

Amy eventually arrives and, even though it’s awkward, the three go on to discuss what actually happened between Amy and Jon at a party 10 years in the past. From here, the story weaves its way to a clever and unnerving conclusion. More than a tale of old friends confronting old wounds, the film is a suspenseful, deftly realized portrayal of divergent perceptions devolving into psychological warfare.

Acclaimed director Richard Linklater encloses his characters in an unpredictable and uncomfortable environment, training the viewers’ full attention on the dialogue and arc of each character’s story. Meanwhile, cinematographer Maryse Alberti and production designer Stephen Beatrice render the setting with a haunting dinginess that seems to seep into the characters themselves.

Rich and engaging, Tape showcases the superb talents of each actor. Stephen Holden of the New York Times praised the cast for giving “the most psychologically acute performances of their film careers.”