moonspinner55 Director Gus Van Sant's first film, a 78-minute, independently-financed drama shot in high-contrast black-and-white, which Van Sant also produced, edited, and wrote (from a story by Walt Curtis, which happens to be the leading character's name). The plot--about a gay cashier in a liquor store who befriends two Mexican teenagers on the run from Immigration--is more sexually upfront than Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho" from 1991, but this no-budget effort has even less meat on its bones (and less on its mind). Stylishly rendered with an artistic eye, but dramatically it doesn't hold together (the cashier, having been sternly rebuffed by the heterosexual boy he's "in love" with, keeps trying to win his affection, which doesn't make him seem desperate so much as deluded). The performances are uneven, and the action during a police raid is rendered nearly incoherent by Van Sant's sloppy compositions and editing; still, there's an atmosphere and an ambiance about the picture that stays with one, and the director's attentive eyes give hint of his burgeoning talent. *1/2 from ****

gradyharp MALA NOCHE is a low budget, grainy black and white film from 1986 by the estimable director Gus Van Sant and has been considered important enough to include in The Criterion Collection. While it is based on a true story by Portland writer Walt Curtis, Van Sant is responsible for the screen play as well as the direction and editing of this little film. It may not be a polished gem, but it has many of the ingredients and honesty that have subsequently made Gus Van Sant one of our more important film director (Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, Finding Forrester, Milk, To Die For, Good Will Hunting, etc). It deserves its placement in the Criterion Collection. The scenario is simple: Walt (Tim Streeter) is a convenience store worker who becomes infatuated with illegal immigrant Johnny (Doug Cooeyate) and his friend Pepper (Ray Monge) who have just arrived by rail in Portland. The setting is sensual and Walt manages to satisfy his desires with the emotionally needy and impecunious Johnny. It is a fit for them both, though Walt seeks to make the relationship go deeper than the superficial physical encounters. It is a push pull situation and the beauty of the film is the manner in which Van Sant manages to allow us to see both sides of the story. John J. Campbell provides the steamy, crackling photography and Creighton Lindsay heightens the mood with his musical score. It is early Van Sant but it is a solid little start. Grady Harp

doctorsmoothlove It has been more than twenty years since Gus Van Sant released his first full-length feature film. For a first film, Mala Noche avoids many of the pitfalls other first films usually exhibit. The screenplay is realistic and the camera work is impressive. So, despite its age, the film is still worth a viewing.Mala Noche is a social realism-inspired drama about the life Walt Curtis. Curtis is a shopkeeper from Portland, Oregon and he falls in love with a Mexican immigrant named Johnny. The film covers Walt's effort to befriend Johnny, his brother Roberto, and his brothers. Walt is never able to sleep with Johnny as he wishes he could, but, ironically, has sex several times with Roberto.The most striking feature of Mala Noche is the realism of its lead character and the main supporting cast. Walt exhibits the characteristics of a poor young man. He works in a remedial job and lives in a run-down apartment. His attraction to Johnny is not romantic but visceral. His voice-over narration describes his anguish as he fails in seducing Johnny. This adds a provocative flair to Walt's character. It allows us to sympathize with him because he is so frank about his problem that we wish for him to succeed. Similarly, Johnny and Roberto also act appropriately given their roles. Johnny uses his status as an immigrant and his knowledge of Walt's homosexuality to manipulate him into giving away products at his store. Roberto also manipulates Walt, but for sexual purposes. Perhaps the best example of the incredible realism of the film is Roberto's inability to admit to his affair with Walt. I cannot recall another film which portrays a secret homosexual relationship as earnestly as this one does. Most films, including those in support of homosexuality, display it in a sensationalized way. Mala Noche earns marks for originality by showing that homosexuality is just a part of life, even though it isn't public.For a budget of $25,000, Van Sant has created a well-constructed film. The lighting is from practicals (or appears to be), but this adds to the film's realism. This may interfere with your ability to see the characters, but at least a portion of an actor's face is always visible. There are no special effects beyond the lighting. There are several shots of nature which appear beautiful despite the lack of color. Budget constraints prevented more elaborate effects, and Van Sant probably stretched his stipend out filming the few colored scenes. This doesn't affect the film's quality, and adds appropriateness to it.All isn't perfect with this debut. With its paltry running time, the film isn't able to develop a real exposition. The first sequence is Walt narrating his attraction to Johnny. This is representative of a larger concern in the film's plot progression: the episodic nature of its events. However realistic it appears to a viewer, he may find it difficult to understand what is happening in subsequent sequences. It warrants another viewing. A noteworthy example is when Johnny temporarily steals Walt's car. We are given no plausible explanation for the specific reason why he wants to confiscate the car at that moment. Again, this is a byproduct of a 78-minute running time and not the direct fault of Van Sant.Mala Noche has become a cult classic, especially in youth culture. While most cult films are exploitative, Mala Noche has achieved its status for the opposite reason. This is an optimistic film about the possibility of people to interact without bias for country of origin or sexual preference. While the film is highly reflective of the sexual anguish of the young, it is challenging to connect the disjointed sequences into a coherent film. The film has no direction and moves continuously forward like a Magical Realism novel, but lacks the characterization to keep the story afloat. Still, Mala Noche is worth watching for the purposeful lack of chemistry between its protagonist and his love interest. Walt cannot become Johnny's lover regardless of how much emasculating effort he makes. Despite their shared minority classification, they are still able to befriend one another. The film presents a faux relationship between two young men in a non-traditional way, and this makes it an excellent candidate for Netflix.The newest DVD edition of the film is worth a purchase if you enjoy Van Sant's work. It features an interview with him and a trailer of the film. The subtitles are only sporadically placed when Spanish is spoken, and they remain on screen only briefly.

refined_cujo-1 I was fortunate enough to see this at the Sydney Film festival. I am a fan of Van Sants, having seen all his stuff and read his fiction- and I've always wondered if I would ever see this curiosity of a film. And what I expected to be nothing more than a real fledgeling of a film, with only a glimmer of the Van Sant that attracts many to his work- was in actuality a stunning, fully sustained episodic and tender Ka-pow! that was wonderfully made and full of all the visual tricks and flair that makes Van Sants movies so idiosyncratic and so ... well him. This was the biggest delight for me about it. I expected, simply because it is so hard to find and that it has no DVD release that it would be a mere trifle of a film. But it is anything but.I was moved, all the acting was top-notch. The main character was likeably deluded, such a victim of his own desire it was funny and warming at the same time. The Black and White and evident grain in occasional sound inconsistencies actually work for it; it helps draw the detail out of the locale and its people in a manner very reminiscent of Van Sants Idaho and Drugstore Cowboy. There are moments of confusion, of randomness, of erotica and tragedy. The music is wonderful, every camera angle delicately crafted, but never contrived or pretentious- full of humour and warmth. What a joy this film was and to me, seriously one of Van Sants best. Maybe its because I'm a gay man and with the exclusion of his Paris Je Teme segment, and elements of My Own Private Idaho, this is his only overtly gay story. And it plays real, with an almost documentary like realism (for example the scenes of language barriers between the the main protagonist and Pepper)- but then again its almost as theatrical as opera, playing it broad and surreal. I cant praise it highly enough. A real surprise, a delight. I hope it gets seen.