Plot slips away in chaotic, streaming drama
As his personal project "Slipstream" opens, Anthony Hopkins' face flashes white in a moment of shock.
Something has happened to his character, screenwriter Felix Bonhoeffer. Exactly what isn't clear, but it can't be good.
What follows is an eye-jerking mash-up of absurd dialogues, jump cuts, fleeting images of raving world leaders and atomic mushroom clouds, and a road rage shooting in which the gunman screams, "We've lost the plot!"
"Slipstream" jumps from one non sequitur to another, as Bonhoeffer's memories and characters collide with what passes for reality.
This confusion is meant to reflect the dream-like nature of life, according to Hopkins, who stars in, wrote, directed and scored the film.
"Slipstream" stretches the boundaries of editing and story, blending images and changing colors in mid-scene. But the hyperactive jumps in image, storyline and character are too random and too jarring.
Since Bonhoeffer is a passive bystander, there is no strong figure to carry the audience through this confusing melange and make sense of it.
Without a guiding framework, an undercurrent of impending violence dominates the first half of the movie.
The road rage scene grabs attention by suggesting tragedy while leaving some mystery. However, a subsequent scene in which two killers threaten the people inside a diner is creepy and tedious.
The final half has a lighter tone of a movie-within-the-movie, as the screenwriter kills off the continuity editor, resulting in chaos.
In the end -- which is the beginning -- we can guess what's happened, but aren't sure of the significance.
Life can be random and dreamlike, which is why we need to impose some order if we want to make any sense of it -- or "Slipstream."
"Slipstream"
2 stars out of four
Opens today
Anthony Hopkins as Felix Bonhoeffer
Christian Slater as Ray
John Turturro as Harvey
Jeffrey Tambor as Margolis/Geek
Lisa Pepper as Tracy/Nurse
Written and directed by Anthony Hopkins. Produced by Stella Arroyave and Robert Katz. A Strand Releasing release. At the Century Centre, Chicago. Rated R (language, violence). Running time: 96 minutes.