It's bleak. It's awkward. It drags. And it also haunts, for a long time after. Short black and white scenes seemingly filmed with all the finesse of security camera tapes, each fading to black without any sense of dramatic resolution. It's precisely the lack of resolution that keeps you going -- creating a weird kind of suspense. For me, a key to the story is that the John Lurie character, Willie, has never mentioned his Hungarian heritage to his best buddy, Eddy. He has chosen to cut himself off from his origins, but his "assimilation" into U.S. culture has led exactly to nowhere. When his teenage cousin comes to visit, fresh from Budapest, Willie's isolation becomes all the more evident. The silences between the two speak volumes. Aunt Lotte, the most appealing character, represents the vitality missing in Willie. I found the film oddly touching and I involuntarily cared about the characters, partly because the film maker wasn't trying to make me like them. The ending was ironic and perfect. Give this one a chance, and at the very least, your own life will seem very full and very colorful by contrast!
Review of Stranger Than Paradise
