Fix (Toa Raspoli, 2007): USA

Few films are as pleasingly disorienting as the film Fix(2008). With the often wild and comedic twists and turns Fix takes us on a cultural tour of the LA drug circles. With a bunch of unique characters, this film draws you in with the story and gives you a tour of urban sprawl of LA. Through the lens of a faux documentary we see the clichés that exist within downtown LA, the ghettos of Watts, a struggling actor in the Hollywood hills, and the burgeoning art scene.  Fix is one of the highlights of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

I saw Fix in the best of situations. At the Victoria Hall at the 10 o’clock showing with only 40-50 people in attendance. The really cool part about it was that the about 10 or 15 of the people there were the main cast and crew. After a few initial questions by others I practically had the whole cast to myself, free to ask any sort of question. They were charming. This production sounded so fun. I would have wanted to been a part (however small) just to hang out with them. It was incredible to hear how much of the film was improvisation. The crew seemed to be open minded every one was willing to go with the flow in every situation. They shot fast and loose but the quality did not suffer. The cinematography was particularly engaging and good.

The film begins in a blur of motion.  We do not get an establishing aerial shot.  We simply get introduced to the situation via a voice that is coming from behind the camera. This is Milo and Bella discussing the current situation. Leo, Milo’s brother, is in jail and the duo, Milo and Bella, have one day, from 7 am to 8 pm to come up with 5,000 USD to admit Leo into rehab, otherwise he will go to jail.

Leo makes a series of calls and the trio visit one outlandish friend after the next trying to borrow enough to keep Leo out of jail.   As they drive from one place to the next the atmosphere inside the car becomes very intimate. We explore each characters depth as we explore the depths of LA LA land.

I recommend this film.