By Gordon Foote.
Set in New York in 1995, From the Head tells the story of “Shoes”, a strip bar toilet attendant. The film plays out over a single day in his life, giving us a fascinating glimpse into his existence and the tragedies and comedies he sees in the line of duty.
Smart, funny, and heart-felt, From the Head has been doing the festival circuit for a couple of years now, picking up Best Feature in Philadelphia (2011) and being named an official selection at New York’s Soho film festival the following year, and it’s not hard to see why. George Griffith’s debut directorial/writer effort brims with the kind of sophistication one would expect from a far more experienced film-maker; Jim Jarmusch comes to mind more than once as the story unfolds.
The vast majority of the film plays out within the confines of the men’s bathroom, but despite the small setting, Griffith manages to sculpt a film which never feels stationary or stagnant. He does this by forging a cunning illusion; despite Shoe moving maybe 15ft in the entire 95min runtime, this is a road movie, no different from On the Road or Into the Wild in structure. Our protagonist interacts with many interesting people as the story progresses and we are gifted a glimpse into the thoughts and mentalities of these individuals before moving on. The twist on this common movie trope being, obviously, that the interesting people come to us for a change, instead of our hero travelling far and wide to meet them. It works incredibly well, the constantly changing roster giving each new conversation, joke, or piece of advice an air of freshness, and providing an eagerness in the audience to see who will walk through the door next, the guy who doesn’t wash his hands? Or maybe the guy who pretends not to have any money for tips?
As well as proving himself a dab-hand behind the camera, Griffith’s script delights; it is engaging, funny, well paced, and above all, clever. At the heart of any character study, and From The Head is certainly that, must be an interesting, rounded character to study – enter Shoes, played by Griffith himself.
Shoes is a mild-mannered, intelligent guy who has become a fixture in the men’s bathroom at the strip bar in which the film takes place. The bulk of the film lets us watch as he charms, cajoles, and earns tips from various clients. We observe as Shoes embodies facet after facet of himself in order to please different types of people. He is, by turns, told he should be a poet, a philosopher, a writer, and a stand-up comedian, each time, modestly denying his capability. It’s interesting to ponder whether this humility is an act to get another dollar or two dropped into his tips jar, or if three years of working in an atmosphere largely characterised by alcohol, sweat, and desperation has caused Shoes to truly question his worth beyond the tiled walls of the little boy’s room.
Though the interaction with patrons is excellent, it is this thread of the story, the thread which sees Shoes trapped between the realisation that he “wasn’t keeping a track of the time” and could be wasting his life dispensing soap and sweets, and a seeming unwillingness to move on, which makes him such a relatable character. As the recession continues to fill headlines and looms large on our collective horizon, more and more of us find ourselves over-educated, under-paid, and our lives not taking on the shapes we were promised that they would if we worked hard and went to university. Shoes, by his own-admission, attended a private school and is college educated, yet spends his days, and 99% of the movie, propping up the sinks in a bathroom. A clearly intelligent, polite, versatile person trapped in a life beneath his potential? Sound familiar to anyone out there? Generation Y, we have found our champion.
It’s been a while since I’ve truly gushed about a movie to friends, but since watching From the Head on Tuesday, I have recommended it to anyone who will listen. The interplay between characters is smart, the camera work makes the most of claustrophobic settings, and performances from familiar faces like Matthew Lillard, Jack Conley, and Jon Polito are brief but meaningful. But, really, this is a one man triumph. George Griffith writes, directs, and stars, bringing his vision to screen in what my mum would describe as “a great wee film”.
I am sure the small-scale focus of proceedings will put some off; this is a pop-psychology master class, but the issues it tackles and the revelations which hit home are not world changing. That said, every now and again a film comes along that is just right up your street; this is one for me (the last being Wristcutters: A Love Story, if you’re interested).
I can’t wait to see what to see what Griffith works on next!
4/5
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Shoes 8th July 2013
Thank you.