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Gerry
2002
In Gus Van Sant's GERRY, a film more concerned with atmosphere and visual breadth than with story or plot, a frivolous hike through the desert evolves into an existential journey for two young men. The film features only two characters, both named Gerry and played by the film's co-creators Casey Affleck and Matt Damon. Driving .. Read more
| Starring | Matt Damon, Casey Affleck |
|---|---|
| Director | Gus Van Sant |
| Genres | Drama |
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Gerry
In Gus Van Sant's GERRY, a film more concerned with atmosphere and visual breadth than with story or plot, a frivolous hike through the desert evolves into an existential journey for two young men. The film features only two characters, both named Gerry and played by the film's co-creators Casey Affleck and Matt Damon. Driving through a desert populated with imposing rock formations and bordered by miles of sky, the two Gerrys stop to see an unspecified "thing" which they are unable to find. The two young men then attempt to return to their car, but cannot find the way back. As they wander through the increasingly difficult desert terrain, their journey strains their friendship and becomes an exploration that is clearly about more than just finding the car.
After several commercial projects, GERRY is in some ways a return to roots for director Gus Van Sant. The motifs of moving clouds and the desert imagery may recall his early works--MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO and EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES--but GERRY is even more ambitious than those revered projects. Highly influenced by Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr (WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES), the film uses minimal dialogue and long, languishing shots to achieve a meditative mood.
| Starring | Matt Damon, Casey Affleck |
|---|---|
| Director | Gus Van Sant |
| Studio | 4DVD |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 38 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 27 Jul 2009 Production year: 2002 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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Given the public predilection for fast-paced, effects-heavy event pictures, Gus Van Sant couldn't have crafted a more uncommercial film than this. Co-written by Van Sant and joint leads Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, it follows two friends — both called Gerry — who embark on a wilderness trail only to get hopelessly lost in the harsh terrain without any provisions. Unwinding at a snail's pace, with the most simplistic of storylines and barely any dialogue, this audacious allegory is either pretentious twaddle or a poetic masterpiece, depending on personal taste. While the duo does nothing more action-packed than trudge towards potential doom, their predicament becomes riveting, made additionally entrancing by dreamy cinematography, breathtaking landscapes and hallucinatory cloud formations. An acquired taste for sure, but a meditative marvel nonetheless.
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"...One of the most intriguing American films of the year... Mesmerising and extraordinarily tense... A glorious off-beat original..."
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Most helpful member's review
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20 out of 28 people found this review helpful
Poetry In Slllooowww Motion
I have always been of the opinion that slow doesn't always have to mean boring. Judgement At Nurmeberg, Dances With Wolves, JFK, are all excellent examples of slow-burning, thought provoking film making at its best.
The main problem with Gerry is not that it is slow, but rather that it is contradictory, and loses us, the viewers, at the pivotal moments.
Rather like the film, the storyline is simple. Two friends, Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, lose their car in the desert, and cannot find it. It may sound like not a lot happens, and not a lot does. But then, this is the beauty of the film.
It feels much longer than its length, and despite its simplicity, seems to require great concentration and attention. Lingering shots of desert, of changing skylines and stretches of rock, while possibly misplaced in other movies, only serve to support what is a calm and often solemn ambience.
But, what ruined it for me was this: After an hour and a half of blissful, thoughless, dreamy and poetic film, I was suddenly thrown a curveball. I had to think. And this, coming out of the blue, ruined what was otherwise a serene viewing experience. It was like someone suddenly watched the film float past and said 'Wait! We need an ending!'
Sadly, they should've chosen a little more wisely, as Gerry can only be ranked amongst the 'almosts'. -
Most recent members' review
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6 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Silent Beauty
'Gerry' (Gus Van Sant 2002) is what film making should be. It is what all aspiring film makers hope to one day create, and what film critics & theorists dream about... a stunning visual sound.
We forget in this day and age that, at it's most basic, Cinema is a visual art form, the origins of which can be traced back to the days of cavemen making shadow puppets on the walls of thier caves. Cinema is about the lyrical quality of images and of how those images transform viewers into participants rather than mere spectators.
With little to no use of dialogue, or sound, Van Sant was able to create a world within which the viewer gets lost in the roaring skys, catastrophic winds and the sullen beauty of the ravaged wonderland that is the human spirit.
Every shot is liquid perfection, sheer beauty, a delight to the eye, mind & soul.
Excellent work Gus! -
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