BREAKTHROUGH WEEKEND a film by Sujewa
Ekanayake.
Reviewed by Rick Schmidt
When my Feature Filmmaking at
Used-Car Prices book first came out, I ended the Preface by
saying, "In an age where motion pictures are being called the
major new art form of the twentieth century, I think it is important
that many more of these "features" are created outside the
Hollywood system, by artists who have something to say with an
original and personal point of view." Well, with his new
feature, Breakthrough Weekend (80 minutes, Color, ©2014),
writer/director Sujewa Ekanayake has done just that. Very rarely do I
get to see a movie this unique, with a fresh new approach, that can't
be readily compared to much else. And because it is an original,
filmmaker Ekanayake having invented his own brand of storytelling and
interplay of characters, it will demand more from an audience than,
say, a Spiderman, X-Men or Scorsese film (sorry Martin, but
your movies are 'cookie cutter,' even when they're suspenseful; ie.
Departed). Compared to these fast-food flicks, 'Breakthrough'
is a 7-course French banquet. It moves differently, looks different,
all the while joining the 'buddy movie' genre. For those who enjoy
everything from The Sting to Chan is Missing, it should
be a highly pleasing ride, at the same time offering the viewer
contact with some deeper-meaning stuff.
The two detectives,
Sal and sidekick Yevgeny (perfectly played by Damien Bosco and Sean
Bempong, respectively), go about the business of making clients happy
with their snooping, solving personal difficulties more than any
actual real crimes. You've got Mirabel, an attractive blond real
estate agent apparently rolling in dough (deliciously performed by
Jennifer Blakemore), who is suspicious of her live-in boyfriend's
fidelity. A first impression allows the viewer to join in that
suspicion; his aloofness and self-absorbed nature are a dead
give-away. It's Sal's job to tail the guy and report back, so he
puts his partner on the case. Yevgeny uses iPhone technology to make
his own digital movie of the guy, who's caught walking with his other
girlfriend, kissing her, which is just what we expected (so I'm not
revealing too much). But among such clichéd scenarios this movie
offers more. We hear solutions to life's bigger dilemmas, beyond
just 'nailing a cheater.' Beneath the cloak-and-dagger of story or
'narrative,' the odd detectives start solving OUR modern problems.
Are we cheating ourselves if we forgo our responsibly to be
happy, being too driven by the almighty dollar? Is that not a
crime? Yes, Mirabel may not have a faithful lover, but she's
partially responsible, Sal points out, because without taking some
time to actually enjoy her life how can she expect to have a good
relationship.
The film indicates
that we all need to re-examine our "Level of Happiness" and
strive toward maintaining a better frame of mind, no matter what
exterior forces affect our mood. That's one of the challenges the
movie dumps at our feet. It turns out we may be responsible for the
negative things that happen around us, if we don't follow our bliss.
Another client of
the Sal-run detective agency are German siblings caught in a
comical-yet-sad incestuous relationship (Clara Schmidt and Matthew
Ryan make us believe…), who require Sal's expert (and expensive)
services. He's hired to come up with a method to halt their
lovemaking, in order to save their father's inheritance. And again,
Sal invents a solution (I won't give this one away…). So, of
course, it's no problem (if you're Sal!). His past life experiences,
vast in creativity and topped off with a deep understanding of human
complexity, allow him to not only fix relationships, but also mend
his own partner's personal troubles.
Can Sal help
Yevgeny address his writer's block? What advice can Sal possibly
give to solve that old, "day-job vs. creative art-making"
dilemma? The long walks the men take, with shots of New York
cityscapes; highways, waterfront, streets and parks overlooking the
city, allow us to eavesdrop on the soul-searching. Watch the image
pan, dip and zoom, as if the movie's visuals were generated by the
same investigatory iPhone used by Yevgeny on stakeouts. Throughout
these journeys by foot, the lively music of Kevin Macleod keeps the movie's dependable and elegant
heartbeat going. At any rate, Sal knows his stuff. "It's like
Spinoza said, Don't weep, understand," he tells his
partner along a deserted side street, adding, "You have to
effortlessly glide through the obstacles in your life…like a great,
big, floating squirrel."
When film critics Jim and Bob (Matt Saxon and David A. Steinberg play this great
odd-couple) argue about the meaning of Mumblecore to their upcoming book project, one of them uses his magic powers to knock his partner
out cold with a blast of energy from his hands. Sal is hired by the
Mohawk-donned critic to confront his powerful partner, to talk the
fellow wizard into lifting the harmful spell. Sal's so well versed in
various techniques – old and new 'Merlin-style' wizardry – that
nothing either surprises or confounds him.
While it's fun and
entertaining to see unique solutions to these odd characters' problems, I found that Sal's pontifications coupled with his
partner's soul-searching took me into deeper realms. Perhaps the
viewer can let this clever narrative spill over into their real life,
allowing some of this smart-wackiness to help overthrow any remaining
excuses. We need to get on with the real job of creating art
and music and literature – something more divine – in spite of
our demanding day-jobs. Sal might simply say, "There's no time
like the present to begin doing that."
