SXSW Review Audrey the Trainwreck
Director: Frank V Ross World Premiere Emerging Visions 85 minutes
Synopsis For Ron Hogan, life is fine... not great, not good, just... fine, and on the verge of retiring any sort of dream he's harbored of a life less ordinary. Pushing thirty and working a thankless office job, internet dating is one more routine in Ron Hogan's well-ordered life. God knows his lonely roommate and lonelier co-workers have tried, but not even a dart to the back of the head can shake him out of his funk. Until he meets Stacy, a fellow working stiff who disarms him by speaking the language of his loneliest moments. Featuring a score by acclaimed jazz composer John Medeski, Audrey the Trainwreck is Frank V. Ross's 5th feature film, an exploration of what might happen if one manÕs silent desperation got a little bit louder.
Director Bio Frank V. Ross has completed 6 feature films including 'Quietly On By,' 'Hohokam,' and 'Present Company' which premiered at SXSW 2008. Ross films have screened at such venues as the Harvard Film Archive, the Gene Siskel Film center and the the IFC center. He works as a waiter in Westmont, IL. Some of the scenes for Audrey were shot there, for which he paid his boss five hundred dollars.
WHO'S IT FOR? This is a slice-of-life story with Ron struggling with a roommate, his love life and his job. There is a definite focus on the mundane.
OVERALL
It’s a little slow. Audrey the Trainwreck is also a tease. There isn't even really a trainwreck. It's mainly every day life. There's also an extra use of close-ups here. I thought I was far enough back in the theater at the Alamo Drafthouse. I was wrong. The back row might have been a better choice. Not only are there close-ups, there is dry skin and acne. This must be to make the audience uncomfortable, but that's the only thing it does. There isn't another result after the discomfort. Yes, there are a couple of good ideas here, like an egg in the fridge. It wobbles around and you never know when it’s going to drop. But again, that's a tease. This is the type of film that shows you someone getting ready for work. Why? Just because. There's nothing interesting about it accept being able to later say, "I have a routine." Look, if it's not an interesting routine, I don't need to see it. Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson on "Parks and Recreation") shows up for a small, but good role. Audrey just needed a kick of adrenaline, besides the last minute of the film.
Two things outside the film were of interest at this SXSW screening. Annie Goes Boating is a short film that played before the movie. I have no idea why this drama about a cheating friend was in 3D. Simply put, it was unnecessary.
One of the best parts of SXSW is the people you will sit next to. Remember Skeletons? I saw it a couple days ago. I sat next to the producer and director during Trainwreck. We had a good chat. It was his first time to the States. So I told him where to go in Austin and Seattle (they’ll be going that way for another film festival). That was my favorite part of this experience.
FINAL SCORE: 3/10