SF Indiefest: Sidekick
Sidekick (screening at the Roxie on Saturday at 4:30) was made for about $30,000 by a bunch of friends getting together on weekends. And bless their hearts, but there's only so much that $30,000 will get you. You might not have time to rehearse everything; you might not be able to light things precisely; your audio might be a little hissy and whooshy. And all those technical issues don't really matter if your story's not strong, but if your story IS strong, well, then, it's hard not to notice that the budget of the film doesn't quite measure up to the script's aspirations.
Michael Sparaga (the writer/producer) set out to make a realistic indie superhero movie, in which superpowers are complicated afflictions with repercussions and consequences and, you know, smartypants stuff. It's a bumpy ride, significantly darker and less polished than your average superhero film; and it's not always easy to hold on for the whole thing. The ostensible hero turns out to be far from heroic, and after his naive sidekick encourages him to use his powers more freely, his sudden cruelty is a bit shocking. Victor's descent into evil might deviate a bit from the movie's goals of realism; and we're not sure what qualifies Norman to train Victor, other than his general interest in second-bananaeyness. Then again, when you're watching a movie about superpowers, a little extra suspension of disbelief might not be out of the question.
The story: Norman lives a nebbishy life. His chief powers appear to be raising his eyebrows, growing agitated, and noticing things while being overlooked himself. And he reminds us of Screech. Victor's an up-and-comer working for the same company, and a huge jerk. Nevertheless, when Norman notices that Victor has subtle superpowers, he does what comic books have taught him is his calling: training Victor to hone his abilities so that they can fight crime together. Meanwhile there's an ambitious chick who keeps butting in, a huffy boss, a sleazy corporate rival, and a snooty/dorky Comic Book Guy. Of these ancillary characters, the chick (Andrea) is our favorite; Michael mentioned after Thursday's screening that she was modelled after Lois Lane, and it works well -- she's plucky and tenacious. We wish she was our friend.
"It's not cliché. It's formula," one character says of Norman's journey; and really, he's talking about the movie. Sidekick delightedly hits some familiar notes, from a Clark-Kentish costume to the always-necessary Traumatic Death Of A Friend scene. Sidekick has a clear love and literacy for its genre, and that expertise comes in handy when placing challenging twists in story's path. We wouldn't have minded a few more twists, in fact; some elements (like a conniving coworker who poses a threat that's visible from miles away) strain the aforementioned "formula" rationale. But the story of danger and selfishness definitely treads on unfamiliar ground, and that keeps it more than engaging enough for us.
We still haven't decided whether or not the open-ended conclusion was satisfying or not. Decide for yourself, though -- Sidekick screens again on Saturday, 4:30, Roxie. It's been picked up for a remake by Focus Features, so we wouldn't be suprised to see a big-budgety Hollywood version come along in a year or two. And that would be a good thing; we'd like to see how much further the smart story and compelling characters could go once they have the flexibility that money can buy.
Preceeding the screening is Imaginary Friends, a mockumentary about, duh, imaginary friends that alternates between silly and sad. One moment, it's cute -- a girl and her imaginary friend make silly faces at each other across the dinner table -- and then suddenly it's gut-wrenching when the girl's mom arrives. UNable to see the imaginary friend, the mom ignores him, and he stands in the corner, dismayed and ignored. You know that scene in American Beauty with the incredibly profound plastic bag blowing the wind? If you liked it, you'll probably find Imaginary Friends moving and insightful. If you laughed at that scene, you'll probably enjoy IF's satirical tone. Somehow, filmmaker Claire Thomas managed to make a short that simultaneously straddles That's So Deep and That's So Funny. And that's so neat.