Chronicle (2012; Josh Trank) is a bittersweet and thoughtful
B-movie antidote to the superhero craze: the film states that even with
god-like powers, if you have emotional problems, you’ll still be a mess. Maybe
even worse.
Expertly told via the “found footage” method, Chronicle follows three high-school boys
(Andrew, Matt and Steve) that have been given incredible telepathic/psionic
powers by a mysterious, unexplained glowing rock/thing they find in an
underground cave.
The powers manifest themselves slowly—the boys float
Pringles out of the can into their mouths, make a teddy bear come to life in a
department store, and other pranks—but soon the kids are flying and are able to
manipulate larger, heavier items.
But unlike the blockbuster adolescent power fantasies swarming the multiplexes this summer, it isn’t a “cool-in-spandex/uncool-in-civilian-clothes”
situation:
Main character Andrew is picked on and bullied,
especially by his awful alcoholic father. As a viewer, I was sympathetic, but
only up to a point: he’s hopelessly spineless—one of those uber-losers that even
the Star Trek nerds pick on—and not
that bright. (If the “power” hadn’t entered his life, he would have grown up
into one of those miserable “poor me” martyr types that work in the mail room
or in IT.)
Even before the sci-fi elements show up, because he’s
such a “pussy,” I knew that Andrew would become the worst of the “supermen,” a
horrible and cruel fascist.
Heroism comes from the inside: Matt, Andrew’s cousin,
is an autodidact, and teaching himself philosophy, reading Schopenhauer and
Jung—and unlike Andrew, who uses the camera as a barrier, when Matt “gets
behind” the camera, it actually opens him up more: he meets a nice girl who’s a
filmmaker/blogger, and the two connect.
Actually I was disappointed we didn’t see more of
Matt’s home life; I was hoping his background was similar (drunk parents,
poverty), so the contrast would be more apparent: that he has managed to
overcome his bad situation but his cousin hasn’t, making Andrew’s tragedy
greater.
[possible spoilers ahead]
But upsetting expectations is part of Chronicle’s
power: The film is better for not killing Andrew’s drunk dad—the kid couldn’t
stand up to him before the “power” arrived, why should be able to after?
Andrew wants to hide, run away. His spirit was killed
a long time ago. Which is why he never kills his father, or simply flies away.
He’s got infinite powers, but can’t even rob a gas station properly. Meanwhile,
he hurts those who truly love him.
Written by Max Landis, director John’s son, the film
is thankfully not another piece of navel-gazing wankery by a child of privilege
(Jason Reitman, I’m looking at you!), and by being a B-movie “genre” product
actually deals with teenage emotions and confusions much better than more
“straightforward” H’wood teen flicks.
And this is the conclusion of LERNER INTERNATIONAL’s Sci-Fi
June. Sorry I couldn’t post every day….
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