Pure Killjoy

I saw the film at Houston Worldfest and heard the director speak after the film. There's a lot going on here. Honestly, I don't know if I would have picked everything up on my own, but listening to Downing talk about the different levels within the film was fascinating. It would be cool to have Downing's "director thoughts" captured on tape or available on the web. It added a lot to my experience. Hearing him speak provided a whole new perspective on the film...especially hearing about the hallway and the characters in the Lucky Bar.

I was fortunate enough to see "Pure Killjoy" at the Houston Worldfest last Tuesday. I liked this movie because it was intentionally uncomfortable and made you think about how it all tied together. It's abstract, but contrary to some people's thoughts this is no where near as far out as David Lynch...and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. It's a great peek inside the head of one truly messed up guy trying to keep a lid on his deepest, darkest secrets. And Gregg Rubin, the lead actor, did a great job portraying a psycho in a plain vanilla wrapper. Definitely not for everyone, but definitely for me.

It's obvious that Aaron Downing has some talent. It just couldn't pull this messy film together. One can't help but feel that he has seen David Lynch's"Lost Highway" one too many times. The film claims to be inspired by avant-garde cinema, and to be similar to "Pi", but it isn't accomplished enough to make those allusions. To try and explain the plot seems futile, for it is jumbled beyond understanding, and quite possibly unimportant. To Downing's credit, he elicits good performances from his two leads and succeeds in creating an atmosphere of menace. So, while Pure Killjoy is a failure on most levels, it does show some promise for things to come.

Roger Ebert wrote a review on Blue Velvet once that said something like "it's one of those good films that is hard to 'like', but that's precisely why it's good."

If you look in the mirror and don't like what you see, aren't you better for looking into the mirror and seeing what you otherwise may have looked over?

This film shows what's going on inside the head of someone that, on the outside, seems very normal. That's why it's disturbing...anyone walking down the street has the potential to be this messed up with no outwardly warning signs.

"...pURe kILLjoy is consistently engaging and wonderfully idiosyncratic...a cross between ERASERHEAD and BARTON FINK..."

Stuart Burkin