The Age of Commercialism

Such a frustrating disappointment

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

"Mala Noche/Bad Night" is immediately recognizable as a Gus Van Sant film, with it's precisely cool and artistic style. From the opening shots in the box car, as the two Mexican friends sneak across the border, shadows play upon their faces, emphasizing the fear and excitement that these guys must feel. It is surprising to hear this called a "low budget" film; "Mala Noche" has the look of a polished and professional film. Blockbusters such as "Sin City" with their huge budgets, attempted to achieve the look of this one, and failed. The story is simple, and takes a back seat to the imagery. A normal-looking guy in his 20's develops a "crush" on one of the young Mexican immigrants who spends his days hanging around the Portland streets near the "gringo's" shop. Walt professes his "love" to 18 year old Johnny. However the fact that they don't speak the same language and have nothing in common, make this more a case of sexual "lust." Johnny, who has no interest in men, lets Walt into his life, if only for the benefits of some free food, cash, and rides around the city. It is quite sad and tragic to witness the Mexican boy treating Walt so cruelly, but Walt's behavior is not much better, treating the boy like a piece of meat by offering him $15 for sex. After being rejected and abandoned by Johnny, Walt finds himself in a shaky relationship with Johnny's best friend Roberto. When Roberto enters the picture, the film gets even better. It is interesting to witness how these two outcasts relate, as they struggle to understand each others worlds. Roberto, played by Ray Monge is more likable than the hardened Johnny, and possesses this quality that makes you want to take care of him. When he becomes sick, Walt does just that, and this is the most unforgettable thing about "Mala Noche." This is one of the very few gay-themed films that is actually "cool," and not embarrassing to watch. Van Sant made the surprising and wise decision to make Walt a totally normal, straight-acting, straight-looking guy. Most films present gays in the typical stereotype, feminine looking and acting men appearing foolish and camp. Of course, the best thing about Van Sant's debut film is it's style, and the phenomenal way he uses black and white to portray mood. Each frame could be cut out and hung on the wall, it is that beautiful. This is the true definition of "cult cinema." Finally available after years of obscurity, this is now available on a high quality DVD, featuring razor-sharp picture quality and good sound. For fans of Van Sants earlier work, "Mala Noche" is a must-see film. Also those who remember Portland in the 80's will get a kick out of all the street scenes, featuring locals who, mostly seem to like drinking "Night Train." "Mala Noche" is a classic..

Gus Van Sant's debut is like a dry-run for "My Own Private Idaho" made on a shoe-string in grainy monochrome on the streets and in the stores and apartments of Portland, Oregon. It's not about anything other than the passion felt by Walt, a store clerk played by Tim Streeter, for Johnny, a young Mexican tearaway with little or no English who acknowledges his feelings but doesn't reciprocate them. Its free-wheeling, unfettered sensibility has made it a seminal film for both Independent and New Queer Cinema and it's a lot more likable, (and perversely, more accessible), than most of Van Sant's later output. It also makes great use of Tex-Mex music and the 'non-performances' of the three boys who take centre stage have an off-the-wall quality that has nothing to do with 'acting' but feels nicely naturalistic. (All three boys are actually quite engaging in their disparate ways). Short, sharp and sweet.

'Mala Noche': is it just me, or do these words sound beautiful together? As a native Portuguese speaker (English is my second language), it's funny for me to realize that those beautiful-sounding words mean, plainly, "bad night". I guess Gus Van Sant also thought they sounded much nicer in Spanish, and didn't call his debut film "Bad Night"."Mala Noche" is based on an autobiographical novel by Walt Curtis (played by Tim Streeter), the young manager of a liquor store who falls in love with a Mexican lad (Doug Cooyeate), an illegal immigrant who doesn't speak English. Shot in black-and-white 16MM for only $25,000, the film lacks the wholesomeness of Van Sant's following movies, more notably his masterpiece, "My Own Private Idaho" (1991). The acting varies from mediocre (Streeter) to plain bad (Cooyeate and most of the supporting cast), but in spite of the below par actors and the extremely low budget, Van Sant managed to create some beautiful scenes, already demonstrating his raw sense of street-life poetry. Creighton Lindsay is responsible for a sensitive music score. In spite of its flaws, "Mala Noche" deserves to be seen by those who admire the work of one of the most influential and daring American indie filmmakers. 8/10.

I was fortunate enough to see this at the Sydney Film festival. I am a fan of Van Sants, having seen all his stuff and read his fiction- and I've always wondered if I would ever see this curiosity of a film. And what I expected to be nothing more than a real fledgeling of a film, with only a glimmer of the Van Sant that attracts many to his work- was in actuality a stunning, fully sustained episodic and tender Ka-pow! that was wonderfully made and full of all the visual tricks and flair that makes Van Sants movies so idiosyncratic and so ... well him. This was the biggest delight for me about it. I expected, simply because it is so hard to find and that it has no DVD release that it would be a mere trifle of a film. But it is anything but.I was moved, all the acting was top-notch. The main character was likeably deluded, such a victim of his own desire it was funny and warming at the same time. The Black and White and evident grain in occasional sound inconsistencies actually work for it; it helps draw the detail out of the locale and its people in a manner very reminiscent of Van Sants Idaho and Drugstore Cowboy. There are moments of confusion, of randomness, of erotica and tragedy. The music is wonderful, every camera angle delicately crafted, but never contrived or pretentious- full of humour and warmth. What a joy this film was and to me, seriously one of Van Sants best. Maybe its because I'm a gay man and with the exclusion of his Paris Je Teme segment, and elements of My Own Private Idaho, this is his only overtly gay story. And it plays real, with an almost documentary like realism (for example the scenes of language barriers between the the main protagonist and Pepper)- but then again its almost as theatrical as opera, playing it broad and surreal. I cant praise it highly enough. A real surprise, a delight. I hope it gets seen.