Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I’ve heard Peter Sarsgaard is awesome in this one, and I’ve heard that the film really grows on you as you think about it. I’m looking forward to getting a look at it myself. After this coming weekend, I’m going on a catch-up movie viewing spree in LA, and this is one of the titles on my list... definitely...
Hey Harry,
Just got back from a movie that really makes me feel appropriately uneasy, being that its Halloween time: SHATTERED GLASS. Lemme tell you, the road to success is paved with temptation, and what’s more tempting than being able to lie your way to a career?
Because every AICN critic tends to give a little background about themself, I will say this: I might be a pathological liar. I am currently serving a million tasks on my way towards possibly becoming a screenwriter, and so I lie to get by. I tell stories to my superiors, stories of how I get answers in life, how I achieve things. I tell tales of muggings and beatings, being on both sides and even health issues. And although my cases have been rather radical, I am not unlike many AICN visitors, in that I have told untruths to people I care about and respect. We’ve all done it.
Now, imagine you have led a high-flying life based on those lies, those deceptions, only to find it crashing down on you. For me, that would probably be my worst nightmare. This is the place that Stephen Glass lives in during the course of SHATTERED GLASS.
As the lead, Hayden Christiansen is not a likeable, courageous, heroic stud. He’s an untrustworthy, lying snot. A real dirtbag, one whose still a kid, but nonetheless intends to exploit each ounce of goodwill pitched in his direction. It’s a really surprisingly performance, one that provides no easy answers as to whether Glass’ soul is redeemable. Can a pathological liar still be a good person? It’s a question I constantly ask myself, and one that this movie never attempts to answer.
The real revelation in this film, though, is Peter Sarsgaard, a character actor who has since now done unremarkable character work. As Chuck Lane, Glass’ editor at the New Republic, he’s a living, breathing person, a character that you can totally buy. I was really taken aback: there’s nothing remarkable or showy about this character, and yet Sarsgaard is a multi-layered ball of tension throughout the entire film. I hate to use the “O” word, but I haven’t seen a more convincing supporting role this year.
SHATTERED GLASS is a horror story in that aspect. Everything about Glass’ approach at the film’s start signifies to the audience that yes, he is lying. The rest of the film is just a chance to watch him blow in the wind of a shitstorm, and its sad, painful, and for me, truly frightening. It’s a surprisingly great movie, one that would have been better off being released in September, instead of November, when it will most likely be buried by more broad awards-friendly fare. Still, it is well worth the trip to the multiplex.
I am fabfunk, and I have spoken.
Like I said... definitely on the list. Can’t wait to see what Hayden’s capable of when he’s in the hands of a more actor-friendly filmmaker...
"Moriarty" out.
