"Living in Oblivion" (1995) - Movie Review

Behind the camera of making a movie goes dreams of lot many people. Right from the smallest part in the unit who still marks the importance in the making till to the director, it is a great deal of managing, negotiating, pleading and begging yourself to go through the ordeal of taking one scene. There is always the dark portrayal of how the aspiration to get into showbiz going horribly wrong. In “Living in Oblivion” they show the dark part of it but in a very funny way and also retaining the intensity on the whole process as such.

Independent cinema has widely opened every one who aspires to become a part of movie making in an approachable way. The concept of DVD rentals and the importance of content as such in a movie have elevated the creativity with minimal budget. Nick (Steve Buscemi) is an independent director working with his crew to put forth a scene. The film comprises of three segments with an interesting connection which I will not reveal. Not that it is a great suspense but watching it without knowing it elevates the fun of enjoying it further more. The three segments involve shooting three different scenes. The pain, interruption, ego, logistics, simplicity and hell breaking loose all at once make this movie one fun ride to watch.

Any one who would want to step in the direction or just be a part in a movie in any genre should watch this. While some may perceive it as a discouragement, it is the reality. But if some one thinks going to the set right away and think that getting a five second shot is a cake walk, they have not even started to think about scratching the surface. Of course I would like to make a movie some point in my life. I know when the time comes there will be extreme obstacles and agony which is how the making or working on anything will go. The thing I was not aware though was the kind of problem that will come through in regular part of shooting. Here they show it and make us accept with laughter to expect those.

What I liked about this movie is that they did not entirely mock upon the field of movie making as such. There exists success in all the segments. The darkish comedy in process of it is what makes the film an entertaining and educating experience. This movie hits the spot due to the engaging and dedicating performance of all the actors/actresses. Especially in the segment involving Chad Palomino (James LeGros) and the opposite chemistry he has with the camera man Wolf (Dermot Mulroney) is a treat. The delivery of the dialogue is spectacular and is funny all through the way.

The film dips in the comic tone with the touch on reality and a slight grace on the cinematic humour. Also the way the editing was done in each segment is impressive. Just when we feel uncomfortable with the happenings in the segment, they end it perfectly. And in the last segment which forms the ending extends the connection in between all the segments to give a convincing ending the movie deserves.

It is been a while I watched a comedy movie all the way since “Hot Fuzz”. It is also artistically ironic to make a funny movie on the sets of movie making. In Wikipedia, they say that director Tom DiCillo got the inspiration while making his earlier movie “Johnny Suede”. This movie was rejected by every producer when the actors and his friends of DiCillo decided to fund it. Any work involves all the pain they show in this movie as that of movie making. The difference is that the fantasy world the cinema projects for the people makes them believe it is all merry land behind it too. The sad part is that many aspiring creators believe it too. In that sense, the movie is aptly titled. Kiss the actor’s ass and the actresses’ lips, negotiate with the camera man, co-ordinate the crew, go nuts, swear a million times and improvise – All in a day’s work.