It’s impossible to see a dark comedy that is set among mounds of snow and not think of the granddaddy of them all, Fargo. Whitewash, co-written and directed by Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais as his debut feature, recalls Fargo in his chilling depiction of a small-town murder, yet is not simply an imitation.
Whitewash opens with Bruce (Thomas Haden Church) driving a small snowcat plow and drinking a bottle of booze. He almost nonchalantly runs down a man and then buries his body by the side of the road in the dense snow. He then drunkenly drives off to the middle of nowhere and gets his snowcat stuck. However, we begin to learn through flashbacks that not only did Bruce know the man he killed, Paul Blackburn (Marc Labreche), but that Paul was no innocent victim. In fact, Bruce has a list of valid reasons why he ran from the scene of the crime. Yet while he freezes in the woods, the guilt he feels over Paul’s death weighs on him.
There is a lot to like about Whitewash, and much of that can be attributed to the two leads. Church is wonderful as usual as the down-on-his-luck, conflicted Bruce. It’s impossible not to feel sympathy for him as its clear that he is a troubled soul who was taken advantage of. Meanwhile, Labreche is a charismatic opportunist, and it’s likewise difficult to not feel that he gets what he deserves. Still, much like Fargo Whitewash is a series of poor choices on Bruce’s part. Also similar to Fargo is the comedy — Bruce’s comical survival skills bring plenty of laughs during the dark proceedings, and one has to keep reminding oneself that someone was murdered here. The longer he stays in the cold, the more Bruce loses his sanity. He eventually begins to blame the means of the murder (the snowcat) instead of himself. I’m not sure if this is some kind of commentary on “weapons don’t kill, people do,” but that possible interpretation is certainly there.
I enjoyed Whitewash a lot, although it might move too slowly for some viewers. The idea here is that the payoff of the film is well worth the 90 minutes invested in it because its impossible to predict. Church’s performance is the key here — much of this movie is a virtual one man show — and to watch him carry the film is really enjoyable because there are more laughs than expected.
Rating: This dark comedy is worth a look if you’re a fan of films like Fargo (8/10).
Tribeca Film Festival 2013 Screenings:
April 24 1:00 PM AMC Loews Village 7
April 27 7:00 PM AMC Loews Village 7
Recent Comments