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THE HAPPY POET MAKES A HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DEBUT
02/09/2010
American writer-actor-director (not to mention editor and musician) Paul Gordon mixes health food, grass roots economics and an endearing underdog hero in what is essentially his feature debut, The Happy Poet. (Gordon previously linked together three shorts made while at the University of Austin film school into the feature-length Motorcycle). The film was the second title to screen in the seventh edition of Venice Days, which kicked off Wednesday.
Gordon stars as Bill, a struggling poet who invests the last of his money, along with a measly bank loan of $700, in an old hot dog cart he converts into a health food stand. He sets up shop, as it were, in a park in Austin, Texas and waits for customers to discover him.
Only a few dribble through, until some newfound friends (Johnny Mars, Chris Doubek) give him a hand in spreading the word about his healthy creations. There’s also a love interest (Liz Fisher) in this gentle American Dream-cum-fairy tale, indie style.
At the Q&A following the film’s official screening, Gordon admitted: “It’s harder to do what happens in the film than it is make a movie. But I wanted to have fun with the kinds of happy endings you see in movies.” The audience responded well to his kind of understated fun, despite some technical problems with the screening.
Director of photography Lucas Millard was also on hand to explain the approach he and the director took with the film: “Paul and I discussed we wouldn’t do anything fancy or tricky with the camera. We shot in digital and opted for a naturalistic look. We wanted more to happen from the actors than from sophisticated camerawork.”
Case in point: Fisher, a theatre actress who makes her big screen debut here, marveled at the amount of freedom she was given in her work. “These guys create such a warm and inviting home for you to do whatever you want,” she said. “Paul said, ‘Follow the script, but if you have a different idea, let’s play with it.’ It was a lot of fun working with them on set, which I think transferred to the screen.”
A spectator compared the wry humor of The Happy Poet to the films of another Austinite, Wes Anderson, and wondered if there was a particular school of “Texas comedy.” Fisher pointed out that the Texas capital is a small but singular hub with thriving theatre, film, dance and music scenes. “These artists get together and talk, which creates an interesting flavor that is unique not only to the United States, but internationally as well,” she said.
The Happy Poet was inspired by a film Gordon tried unsuccessfully to make for years. It’s the fairy-tale ending that that project has not yet had the chance to enjoy.
Natasha Senjanovic – Cineuropa.org
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