The movie maturely handles themes of creativity and moral rage
Director: William H Macy
Cast: Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Felicity Huffman
Rating: 15
Running time: 105 mins
Release date: VOD – 17th October 2014
Often a climatic suicide ends a mass shooting, rendering families and friends at the centre of the cyclone deeply angry and bemused. The shooter turns the gun, takes his life, denying closure. The comfort of cosmic justice or monotheistic hell is too speculative, wilting in the imagination of the believer. If apprehended, the gunman answers for his crimes – in the jail cell or the gas chamber – affording relatives of the victims a modicum of peace. Visceral revenge is the ideal catharsis, however. It crudely sutures deep wounds, but the damage is done. It won’t bring their loved ones back.
Rudderless approaches the aftermath of a shooting unconventionally, strategically avoiding build up or depiction of the crimes. Instead, director William H Macy introduces an upright citizen, Sam, (played by the enigmatic Billy Crudup) father to the deceased Josh. Deeply unsettled, Sam leaves his high-status job, grows a beard, living out his days working as a tradesman and sleeping on a boat docked at the local harbour. These establishing scenes are particularly impressive, reflecting the stasis and helplessness saturating the fallout. Josh’s wake is particularly harrowing, with attendees shuffling in confusion and disbelief. Macy’s script perfectly captures the detachment and deceleration of time its characters experience while careful not to milk the downbeat sentiment.
Sam’s character arc changes course after a sterling scene in which he argues with his ex-wife, Emily (the brilliant but underused Felicity Huffman). She lumbers Sam with their son’s possessions, rightly pointing out his hesitance to take them has a deeper meaning; he’s isolated himself psychologically from the past. Sam’s anarchic lifestyle triggers a subplot to unfold, involving his neighbour Alaird (played by Peter Spruyt). Alaird represents Sam’s past life in all its crushing normality. Sam is haunted by social mores and the jurisdictional stipulations of his sea-faring home, hounded by his irritating neighbour every step of the way.
While rummaging through Josh’s possessions, Sam discovers his son’s gift for music – a strong hint that they led disconnected lives. In a moment of inspiration, Sam embarks on a musical journey, hoping to sublimate unresolved pain and develop a better idea of who his son was. Audiences might find the Indie-Emo music Sam plays anachronistic when juxtaposed with the bleakness of the mass shooting, but this oversight lacks empathy. Sam’s desire to express himself does not adhere to reason or good taste. The central pathos of the film remains constant, with Macy’s choice of music conveying emotion profundity without signposting and instructing responses.
Macy remains neutral towards the film’s content throughout. He points no fingers in moral outrage and avoids commentary steeped in blind rationalisations. It’s a sober, commendable way of tackling a subject that raises more questions than it answers. Furthermore, Macy’s poised, cordial acting has made a seamless transition into his story telling. Rudderless echoes Thomas McCarthy’s The Station Agent in its ability to find glimmers of hope in the loneliest of places. Like McCarthy, Macy is a humanist, eager to uncover shards of solidarity amongst the ashes of tragedy. Both directors film in a documentary-realist style similar to TV series like The Shield or The Wire. Macy’s aesthetic is personable and intimate, especially in Rudderless’ music club scenes.
Rudderless is a story about dealing with the past. One can drown in a swamp of painful memories, or find avenues for sublimation. In Sam’s case, a search for connecting with the memory of his son, unlocks an uncharted creative potential. In turn, he inspires four youngsters to realise their ambitions. The ironic tragedy is that only through the death of his son could Sam find out how similar they were. During the film, Sam does transfer his paternal concerns to his co-singer, Quentin (Anton Yelchin), but due to an underdeveloped character – a genuine weakness in the script – Macy doesn’t succeed in creating a convincing bond between them.
Nevertheless, Rudderless is challenging, deceptively complex, and emotionally balanced. It maturely handles themes of creativity and moral rage. Especially dealing with the processes of healing life’s hardships require, in an honest, bare-faced manner.
Verdict
