Looking Through Lillian
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: B- Film: B-
A woman
stuck in a bizarre relationship with a man who is paying her to be part of a
private, sexual freak show is a sad view of the world we get in Jake Torem’s Looking Through Lillian (2003). The lonely rich man Gene (Sam Bottoms, who we
do not see enough of these days) likes to dress up in certain women’s items
while having sex with the title character (Jade Henham). They met before she could really make a
responsible choice about anything and now knows nothing else but this
burned-out way of life. He is not
abusive, but he is married and likes drugs as well.
One day,
with Gene out of town on a trip, Lillian meets a very different man in Luke
(Robert Glen Keith), who likes her and turns out to be a much healthier
individual. He likes her and she has the
same feelings, but is afraid he will find out about this ugly truth she has
lived with and survived on for years.
The rest is for the film to tell.
It is
ambitious, but you can tell just about everyone involved is a first-timer to
feature films. Bottoms is very
convincing in his role and is the biggest anchor in keeping the film
believable. Torem does a fair job off
the bat, but also shows signs of potential in future directing. The actors are likeable, even when they are
not always effective. It makes for
interesting viewing.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is not what it could be, looking detail
poor and the color does not look as clean as it could. This does not count the analog videotape
footage that is part of the story.
Cinematographer Glen Ade Brown comes up with mixed results that are
rarely memorable, but not altogether bad.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has no major surround information and this does
not sound as good as it should for its age.
The extras include critic Wade Major interviewing (and not always well)
Henham and Torem, stills, outtakes, extra scenes, and a trailer.
We have
seen so many films about women trapped in oppressive situations and many better
than this, but at least it is trying to be about something. Lillian is not some airhead trying to find
big money and hollow success. Anything
hollow in her life is very real and depressing.
That is what holds the film together enough. I do not know if we got enough of the point
of view the title promises, even with Henham co-writing the screenplay with
Torem. The female point of view gets too
lost, but Looking Through Lillian
has some moments.
- Nicholas Sheffo
