Undertow

   365 Films

Entry #156

Undertow (2004)

Directed by David Gordon Green

             Editor’s Note: I understand some of you may have been under the impression that this blog was dead and done for, but I am pleased to announce that this is not the case.  I haven’t quite worked out the math yet but it’s probably statistically impossible for me to complete this blog in the stated goal of 365 days.  That being said, there’s nothing in the rule book that says I can not finish 365 films over some other pre-determined arbitrary length of time is there?  No.  There is not.  Stay tuned for what length of time that turns out to be. 

Continuing the David Gordon Green retrospective, today’s entry brings us to Undertow, the woefully under-appreciated stepchild in Mr. Green’s wildly varying filmography.  It’s interesting to consider the amount of grief Mr. Green sustained upon the release of Pineapple Express and his subsequent “stoner comedy” period when re-visiting Undertow.  This is a film that is almost as big a leap for the filmmaker as any of his later studio pictures.  Sure, it retains a lot of the lyrical visual stylistics of his prior two films, and the southern setting certainly fits this filmmaker well, but compared to those previous films, Undertow is almost a Jerry Bruckheimer production in terms of the pyrotechnics.  Adapted from a story conceived by the master Terrence Malick (who also produced the film but is credited under a pseudonym for the story by credit), Undertow relates the tragic and somewhat horrifying family history of the Munn family and the subsequent events that led to young brothers Chris and Tim being orphaned and left to fend for themselves in the woods of Georgia.  Borrowing beautifully from a grab bag mix of The Night of the Hunter (another future 365 entry…someday) and a Dukes of Hazzard episode (decidedly not on my list), Undertow is like most great films decidedly imperfect but injected with a kind of vibrancy that can only be the product of a genuine talent figuring out his or her filmmaking philosophy.  There are scenes of earth-shattering violence juxtaposed with Green’s unique sense of goofy observational humor.  There’s a blossoming teen romance thrown in with a subplot involving younger brother Tim’s anorexia caused by his anxiety over not being able to grasp the concept of infinity.  There’s even one of the most genuinely beautiful and heartbreaking scenes ever filmed of a man sitting alone in a kitchen eating cake. Oh, and that opening credit sequence is one for the ages, one of the best of the past ten years by far.  Undertow was a big step outside of Mr. Green’s wheelhouse and he paid the price for it.  The usual praise chorus that greeted George Washington and All The Real Girls was this time replaced with indifferent shrugs.  It was the first time Mr. Green would meet that kind of hostility for stepping out of his comfort zone but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.  I remember describing the film to a friend and saying it was a southern gothic fairy tale and before I could even get the last syllable out of that description he put his hand up and said, “yeah, not interested” and walked away from the conversation.  Nearly ten years later Undertow stands as a remarkably courageous transitional work for a filmmaker barely into his career.  Which is not to say the film only has symbolic value, only that it is a thrilling and unsettling work by a true filmmaking talent.

Also here is that opening credit sequence for your viewing pleasure.  Umm, something kind of gruesome happens in it but I'll let you discover that for yourself.  Enjoy!