If you’re not a fan of Ethan Hawke, you will not like “The Hottest State.” Uma Thurman, for example, probably didn’t like it. After all, Hawke adapted the screenplay from his own novel and directed it. And, the actor who stars in it is performing what can only be described as an Ethan Hawke impression; actually, I didn’t realize that Ethan Hawke really had an acting style until I saw it emulated so faithfully in this typical but skillful coming of age, unrequited love tale.
Hawke has starred in many of that genre’s best examples in his life, and he seems to have learned something. Well-paced, beautifully lit, and surprisingly interesting, this film rose above the simple vanity project it could have been. While Hawke’s handling of the material was assured and apt, I think that the love interest, played by Catalina Sandino Morena from “Maria Full of Grace,” was what elevated this film.
While nothing really happened in this movie that hasn’t happened before in books and movies about young lovers burning out on one another, she is wonderful, and the film was unusually realistic while retaining a lovely, dreamy quality appropriate to a fit of passion. Morena’s beguiling, natural performance and refreshingly real beauty makes her co-stars’ brash actions compelling.
The whole film was, in fact, just that. It was romantic, fun and exciting, but sensitive, believable and satisfying, too. Hawke succeeded in subtle matters of pacing and tone. Sometimes people are so close to a project that they cannot see the forest for the trees, but his experience seems to have paid off in “The Hottest State.” It captures the giddiness and pain of first love, but applies enough cinematic veneer to keep you from cringing and is, therefore, safe for couples to rent without precipitating an argument. Unless of course that couple is Uma and Ethan.
“The Hottest State” is currently available to rent.
We have to wait until February for the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers to resume, but January hosts at least one very interesting selection as well. The InView Film Series continues at the University of South Alabama with the award winning documentary “For the Bible Tells Me So” on Jan. 17. This film series is dedicated to the exploration of social issues, civic movements, and diversity, and screenings include discussions lead by Dr. Moira Amado-Miller.
A documentary examining the experiences of five Christian families in America, “For the Bible Tells Me So” examines how insightful yet conservative religious people handle the realization that a beloved family member is gay. This documentary chronicles their profound journeys and “offers healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity.”
In addition to the families, including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson, the documentary features comments from such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard’s Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech.
Winner of many awards including the 2007 Outfest Audience Award, The HBO Provincetown Film Fest Audience Award, and a nominee for the Grand Jury Prize in the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, “For the Bible Tells Me So” handles its subject with the complexity and sensitivity it deserves.
The only screening of this film on the Gulf Coast will be at Theatre USA Second Stage in the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center at the University of South Alabama at 7:00 pm on January 17th. The screening is free and open to the public. Call the University at 251-460-6306 or series co-sponsors Bay Area Inclusion at 251-450-1060 for more information. Also, a visit to the film’s Web site will convince you to come experience it www.forthebibletellsmeso.org.
Contact Asia Frey at afrey@lagniappemobile.com.
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