But I'm here to tell you that a new, exciting auteur has emerged, and his name is Bryce Haymond. Quietly determined, and brimming with youthful intensity, Haymond represents the latest Mopologetic incursion into the world of Mopologetic filmmaking:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T3vD35swEE&feature=plcp
The film is a stunning piece of work, featuring marvelous craftsmanship, set design, performance, and of course, brilliantly innovative direction from Haymond himself. The film is every bit as rough and clumsy as Shirts work, and it's utterly devoid of Shirts's special brand of charm, but I nonetheless believe that Haymond's austere earnestness may represent a wholly new brand of Mopologist aesthetics. Will he one day be remembered as the Bresson of Mormon Cinema? The Brent Ratner, perhaps? Only time will tell.
In any case, let us proceed with the review:
Scripture Rountable 1:3 Nephi 1-7, dir. Bryce Haymond. ** 1/2 out of four
Haymond's debut opens with Dr. Peterson's glowering, egg-shaped visage dominating the frame. "Okay, I, uh, think we're good to go," Haymond says. I must admit, it was a bold move to beging the film so abruptly like this, with no opening titles and no music whatsoever. DCP welcomes the audience "All one or two of you," he says, undulating noticeably, shimmying his his upper body back and forth in a kind of dance. Was this Haymond's first stab at choreography, or was this improvised by the actor? It's hard to tell--a testament to the strange skill of Haymond's direction.
It's worth pausing here to note the intriguing framing and set up. The main screen features the person talking, and below are a series of panels, like little cameos, where we can see the other actors in the film. In the center, of course, is Haymond himself, overseeing the entire scene, directing even as he stars in and orchestrates the unfolding scenes.
At the 1:12 mark, there is a strange and disquieting scraping noise, which DCP says is a "dog rustling around in the background." It's an eerie effect.
At 1:42, we're introduced to Benjamin McGuire, bespectacled and swarthy, leaning back into his comfortable leather armchair, like a slightly menacing Alastair Cooke. You half expect him to lift a snifter of brandy to his lips, but instead he merely stares back, implacable, nodding slightly, with the glare of his computer screen reflected eerily in the lenses of his eyeglasses. McGuire seems to be set up as the antagonist in this film, but Haymond's work is, one learns, never as predictable as you might expect.
At roughly 2:10, Dr. Peterson introduces us to Brant Gardner, who, with his cherubic, beatific smile and neatly sculpted coif, looks like a jolly Oompa-Loompa, washed out in the harsh glare of a light somewhere off screen to Gardner's right. The scene, though, is remarkable in terms of the way that Haymond has photographed Mopologist bedroom decor. Whereas the other actors (save for Haymond) seem to be sitting in offices--or, in McGuire's case, a den or study of some kind--Gardner has been photographed in a tidily decorated bedroom. You can see a floral duvet cover beyond his should, along with what looks like a bluishly illuminated window above the bed. Is this room located in a basement? Has Gardner been "exiled" to a basement "bedroom" in this menacingly crafted narrative? And what is Haymond trying to tell us?
I'm convinced that this must be an allusion to the short-lived 1990s television series, Twin Peaks. In the show, there is a memorable and incredibly disturbing scene involving the villain, BOB, who is crouched beside the bed of the series' deceased, inciting character:
Is this what Haymond was hinting at? We can only guess.
Next we get introduced to Haymond himself, who has some sort of device or microphone clipped to the V-neck of his shirt. Haymond quakes with mirth as DCP lists his credentials, comparing him to a "witch doctor." Finally, at roughly the 4 minute mark, we meet Hamblin, grimacing sourly, as if he's just smelled a fart. Again, this is yet another moment when Haymond's direction of the hair and makeup department really shines. Hamblin here looks like an unholy cross between John Goodman and Barney Rubble. They've actually managed to make it look like Hamblin is wearing a toupee and isn't bothering to try and disguise the fact. His eyes bulge widely from his head as he speaks, and if you look closely, up above his right shoulder, you can see a mysterious bottle of some kind perched on the bookshelf. What is this? Some kind of decorative trinket? A bottle of Chivas Regal? At certain points when Hamblin is off the main screen, he surreptiously drinks from cup and quickly sets it back down. It's a remarkable detail, in any event.
At 11:45 or thereabouts, Dr. Peterson notes the "delight that the apostates take in skewering the joyous expectations of the believers." Who is he talking about here? And why has Haymond chosen to include this remark in his debut film? Is this an expression of the film's theme? Is the whole project an angry denunciation of "elite criticism"? Again: tough to say. Haymond's subtlety is admirable.
In any case, the film proceeds from there pretty much as you would expect--which is to say that it's rather boring. Haymond has yet learned how to maintain narrative momentum. Despite the auspicious beginning, the film peters out and becomes unwatchable after the first act.
Ultimately, I cannot recommend this film, despite my enthusiasm for certain aspects of it. The actors all given admirable and compelling performances, and Haymond's technical and directorial prowess is certainly in evidence--particularly his creative rendering of Mopologetic bedroom decor--but I'm must confess that I'm still very much a Kerry Shirts fan, and as such, Haymond has a lot of making up to do before he achieves Shirtsian levels of excellence. "Scripture Rountable 1:3 Nephi 1-7" is not a Mopologetic Citizen Kane but it is not a Mopologetic Heaven's Gate, either. Actually, I would say that it occupies its own peculiar niche: perhaps we can call it a Mopologetic 12 Angry Men.
Haymond has already made a sequel, though, which I haven't seen. It will be very exciting to see how this budding Mopologetic talent will evolve.