Firecracker

FIRECRACKER

Writer/Director:Steve Balderson

Starring:Karen Black, Mike Patton, Jak Kendall

Availability:DVD is out of print, but you can find a VOD option at www.dikenga.com

Rating:

 

    Holy fuck!  I have just witnessed a true American masterpiece!  Steve Balderson's Firecracker is a brave, bold, surreal, beautiful, poetic, magnificent piece of film.  I almost don't want to review it, because I don't feel I can do this film justice.  Steve's debut flick Pep Squad showed he was a director with real promise, but Firecracker stands as probably the greatest piece of surreal Americana since at least Arizona Dream.  It is nothing short of tragic that a film this gorgeous hasn't gone on to be known as the true American classic it deserves to be!  Jesus Christ, I haven't been this excited over a film in quite some time!

    The inspiration for the film was a real life murder that took place in Steve's hometown over 50 years ago (and was even able to film inside the actual house where the murder took place.)  Karen Black plays a housewife with an incredibly dysfunctional family.  Her youngest boy, Jimmy, wants nothing more than to be a musician.  He is a kind, gentle soul.  His older brother, David (played by Faith No More's Mike Patton in a strong debut performance), is a cold-hearted, violent man who tears his brother down every chance he gets.  These people aren't caricatures, though.  It would be easy to dismiss David and hate him, but the family does love him, despite his awful behavior.

    One night, Jimmy takes off to a nearby carnival where he meets Sandra (also played by Karen Black), an "oddity of nature," and the show's main attraction.  They form an instant bond.  Sandra is smitten by Jimmy's innocence, and Jimmy sees Sandra's life as a mirror image of his own, because Sandra, too, is the victim of constant degradation at the hands of the carnival's owner, Frank (also played by Mike Patton).  Once David comes up missing, their seemingly simple lives start unraveling.  I won't spoil the story's surprises, but suffice to say, what unfolds feels like it's taken from the pages of a glorious, epic novel.  The stories almost blend together in a beautiful mixture of fantasy and harsh reality.  The family sequences are shot in crisp, sharp black and white, while the carnival sequences are shot in lush, gorgeous color.  

    I can't say enough good things about this movie!  I was hooked in the first five minutes.  The opening scene shows Jimmy's home life in all its dysfunctional glory.  Once he runs off to the carnival, the screen blends the black and white and color so seamlessly, that my job dropped at what I was seeing.  Another very cool thing about this film was the use of actual sideshow freaks to play the circus performers, adding an air of authenticity it might otherwise have lacked.  Karen Black, as usual, is fantastic in both her roles.  Mike Patton, as David, is pitch perfect.  As Frank, he's a bit over the top, but it doesn't hurt the film at all.  As Jimmy, Jak Kendall breaks your heart, his eyes full of nothing short of raw passion and pure emotion.  It's a simply marvelous performance.

    The cinematography is also a main attraction here.  This is one of the most beautifully shot films I've seen in ages.  Balderson had grown so much as a director in the years between this and Pep Squad, it's hard to believe it's from the same director.  At the same time, it was there to show that he was a director who didn't want to make the same film over and over again.  He showed a real versatility here that not a lot of independent directors are able to muster.  The shifting back and forth between the two stories can be a jarring experience for those of you who aren't prepared for it, but if you love movies that are daring and original, you won't find too many films that will top this one.  It exists somewhere between the demented suburbia of Blue Velvet and the colorful insanity of Santa Sangre.  This movie is a real force of nature, and I am eternally grateful that Steve Balderson was able to grace us with its gifts.  This movie is nothing short of a fucking masterpiece, and I defy anyone to prove any different.  I am in fucking love!

    Until next time, my fellow freaks and weirdos...