Mala Noche, 1985
Mala Noche (Gus Van Sant, 1985)
“Gus Van Sant's "Mala Noche" is so raw and authentically personal that it feels as if it were shot through a peephole. In some ways that's the look of the film too -- concentrated, partially obscured, captured on the sly. “Set on the skid row streets and pay-by-the-night hotels of Portland, Ore., it's so intimate that it comes across almost as an invasion of privacy. Made in 1985 for a scant $25,000, this fresh, wholly original film turns its high-contrast, black-and-white footage into a heightened form of immediacy.
“With a few off-angle shots, Van Sant sketches out a world of barflies, transients and rotgut drunks. Working the cash register in the convenience store that functions as the booze and cigarette headquarters for the locals is a romantically inclined young man named Walt, who develops a breathless crush on a handsome Mexican boy named Johnny. Johnny, who's come to Oregon illegally with his friend Pepper, doesn't speak English and he isn't much interested in Walt, except in the teasing way of a hustler trying to work him for a meal or a couple of drinks. Walt, who says that most people these days are too far away from the ‘death aspect,’ seems to invite Johnny's abuse, or at least accepts bad treatment when it's all that's offered…This is a knocking debut.”-Hal Hinson, The Washington Post
Cinematheque Waterloo is delighted to present, courtesy of Janus Films, the original film on a glorious new 35mm print.
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Runtime: 78
Director: Gus Van Sant Cast: Tim Streeter, Doug Cooeyate |
Mala Noche, 1985
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Mala Noche (Gus Van Sant, 1985)
“Gus Van Sant's "Mala Noche" is so raw and authentically personal that it feels as if it were shot through a peephole. In some ways that's the look of the film too -- concentrated, partially obscured, captured on the sly. “Set on the skid row streets and pay-by-the-night hotels of Portland, Ore., it's so intimate that it comes across almost as an invasion of privacy. Made in 1985 for a scant $25,000, this fresh, wholly original film turns its high-contrast, black-and-white footage into a heightened form of immediacy.
“With a few off-angle shots, Van Sant sketches out a world of barflies, transients and rotgut drunks. Working the cash register in the convenience store that functions as the booze and cigarette headquarters for the locals is a romantically inclined young man named Walt, who develops a breathless crush on a handsome Mexican boy named Johnny. Johnny, who's come to Oregon illegally with his friend Pepper, doesn't speak English and he isn't much interested in Walt, except in the teasing way of a hustler trying to work him for a meal or a couple of drinks. Walt, who says that most people these days are too far away from the ‘death aspect,’ seems to invite Johnny's abuse, or at least accepts bad treatment when it's all that's offered…This is a knocking debut.”-Hal Hinson, The Washington Post
Cinematheque Waterloo is delighted to present, courtesy of Janus Films, the original film on a glorious new 35mm print.