Written
and directed by independent filmmaker David
Spaltro, Things I Don't Understand is a
thought-provoking drama of young people on the
edge, seeking desperately to grab a foothold.
Like other recent films, it asks the hard
questions: who am I, why am I here, what is the
meaning of life, and what happens when we die?
The film is clearly a heartfelt project, a
subject that the director feels deeply about and
has assembled a fine ensemble cast to support
him. Molly Ryman is Violet Kubelick, a
brilliant, but emotionally troubled young
graduate school student in New York, who is
writing her doctoral thesis on the “big” subject
of life after death, a subject she has had a
personal interest in since her sister died at an
early age.
Self-absorbed, angry, and lacking in self
control, Violet, who often has a half smile on
her face that masks her inner turmoil, releases
her pent-up emotions by engaging in
non-fulfilling sex, drugs and alcohol. Her
attempted suicide, which she disingenuously
calls an experiment to research a near-death
experience, only serves to reinforce an urgent
need for professional counseling. The therapy in
this case is offered by Dr. Blankenship (Lisa
Eichhorn), though it is not clear how Violet's
low-paying job at a bookstore enables her to pay
for the visits. In any event, Dr. Blankenship
challenges her to end her “life is not fair” act
and begin to take the first steps towards
self-acceptance.
The therapist also suggests that she reach out
to others and refers her to a hospice for dying
patients where she can continue her research.
This leads to an interview with Sara (Grace
Folsom), a patient dying of an incurable cancer.
Though weakened from her illness, Sara is
self-reflective and open to talking about her
life. Often tending toward self-pity, however,
she asks “why me?” and reinforces her
victimization by asserting that if there is a
God, he will have to “answer” for her suffering.
Though neither can truly see a spiritual
component to their existence, their relationship
is mutually supportive, and they establish a
partnership that is much more than the
connection between a detached researcher and her
subject. As a result, both grow in their ability
to reach out to others and communicate their
feelings.
In one of several subplots, Violet shares an
apartment with two roommates who are just as
fragile as she is: Remy (Hugo Dillon), a gay
musician and Gabby (Meissa Hampton), a
“performance artist,” but focuses her main
interest on Parker (Aaron Mathias), an
inscrutable bartender who has separated from his
wife but still wears a wedding ring. It is soon
revealed that the building in which they are
living is about to be sold and, unless they can
raise $20,000 to buy it themselves, they will
all have to move out. How her relationship with
Parker plays out becomes the key towards
Violet's growing maturity and acknowledgment of
things greater than herself.
Kudos must be given all around, especially to
Ryman and Folsom for their superior performances
and to David Spaltro who once again establishes
himself as one of the most promising of the
younger directors. In the end, it becomes clear
to Violet that the key towards discovering
meaning in life is to accept who you are and to
understand that “knowing is much different than
believing.” As Werner Erhard put it, “If you
experience it, it's the truth. The same thing
believed is a lie.”
GRADE: A-
See also:
www.tidu-film.com
