The Personal Take: PURGATORY ROAD
Author'sDisclosure: I'm friends with Mark Savage so don't think of what follows as a review.Consider it more of an essay, a response to the work informed by what I'velearned through my interactions with Mark. The following piece is a new formatdesigned offer a personalized point of view that acts as an accompaniment toother reviews. Hopefully, what I lack in objectivity on this film can be madeup for with some unique subjective material.
The key thing I've learned about Mark Savage during thetime we've been friends is that he is an independent in the truest sense of theword. He knows what he is passionate about, what he believes in, is honestabout both of those things and committed to pursuing his vision of cinema in away reflecting those passions and beliefs. He's been making films sincechildhood and getting them commercially released since the late '80s - andthey're all as iconoclastic as the previous sentences suggest.
PurgatoryRoadis his latest released feature and it offers what has become the standardSavage mix of the polished and the provocative. The story focuses on twobrothers bound together by a childhood tragedy involving their father losinghis fortune. Between childhood and adulthood, they got religion and grew intomen who drive a converted mobile home through the countryside containing theirown portable confessional booth. Vincent (Gary Cairns) is the priest of the duowhile Michael (Luke Albright) drives the vehicle and handles collections.
The problem with this setup is Vincent is prone tokilling the people whose confessions strike him as unconvincing orhypocritical. Michael is obedient buttroubled by his brother's mission while Vincent justifies his murderous waysbecause he's getting rid of sinners and rebuilding their father's lostfortune. Vincent is becoming moreviolent, which brings in unwanted attention, and further complication is causedby romantic interest: Michael is tempted away from the situation by kindwaitress Ruby (Sylvia Grace Crim) and Vincent is distracted by Mary Francis(Trista Robinson), a young drifter with her own addiction to killing.
The result has elements of a horror film but doesn't playout in a way that neatly follows genre rules. There's a body count but thestory doesn't have the steady build of a rollercoaster-style horror flick noris it built around suspense. It's more of a character-driven drama where thedramatic stakes involve murder and bloodshed.
It also doesn't play by the usual dramatic rules:viewers might wonder why it's so easy for Vincent to kill many of his victimsor why Michael tolerates the escalation of his brother's tactics and abuse. Asfar as criticisms, it would be fair to say Michael's character arc is a bitunderserved by the story and we never get inside the struggle that keeps him sodocile for so long.
That said, the patience demanded by the willfulrule-breaking at play in Purgatory Roadgets repaid in other ways. Indie filmsmarketed to the horror community are often self-consciously jokey or usegratuitous fan service to cover up for their lack of polish. Purgatory Road doesn't play thesegames. It's refreshingly serious and adult in its approach to topics likereligious repression, dark sexuality, the ripple effects of childhood trauma,etc. It never panders to viewers and is surprisingly unconcerned with tellingthem how to feel about what they are watching.
The film also shows an impressive sense of craft for alow-budget picture. Andrew Giannetta's digital cinematography boasts carefulcompositions and lighting while the somber, rich score from Glen Gabriel evokesemotion without resorting to manipulative techniques. Such elements give Purgatory Road a sense of substancethat compliments the director's somber approach.
I feel like I have a slight advantage on other viewerstuning in to Purgatory Road because I'vehad a chance to talk discuss films and filmmaking with Mark. An important thingothers should know is that his love for cinema has tremendous breadth anddepth, covering everything from the toniest arthouse fare to the grungiestextreme films. He values them equallyand is frank about what he likes and dislikes, without fear of how anyone elsewill judge his interests.
When I look at Purgatory Road, I see him mixing and matching his varied influences with a similar lack of concern for playing to critics or the audience. He's not afraid to have horror movie gore sit alongside moments of quiet family drama or film a pivotal murder scene in a way that concentrates on the perverse joy the killer takes in this cruel act. He's got his interests to explore and he's going to explore them on his own terms. He'll reach out to the audience to a certain degree with craftsmanship and a sense of aesthetics but they have to pick up the rest of the slack themselves. It's not the easiest path for a filmmaker to follow but one must admire Savage's commitment to it.