Review of Steme Buscemi's Interview

Actor/Director Steve Buscemi's film Interview is a poignant tale of first impressions, the dynamics of relationships, the tragedies and emotional scars of life, and the clash between news and entertainment in the media.

Seasoned political reporter Pierre is irked to be stuck in Manhattan on a celebrity profile assignment of Actress Katya; the star of B-movies and a cheesy soap opera, but more famous for her promiscuous love-life. Pierre's mood worsens when Katya is over an hour late to their meeting at an up-scale restaurant near her apartment. During the interview his obvious condescension and disinterest in her life and career offend the starlet. The debacle of an interview escalates and ends as Katya storms out of the restaurant. However, when Pierre's cabbie is caught ogling the fleeing actress he causes a car accident that leaves Pierre slightly injured. Katya, showing a glimpse of compassion, insists on taking the injured journalist to her loft to treat his wounds. As the story unfolds a new dynamic is revealed and the two get to know each other through a strange series of conversations and events. As the circumstances degenerate into the realms of alcohol, cocaine, sexual attraction, and brief physical violence, these near-strangers play a game of cat and mouse which leads to the divulging of darkest secrets.

Buscemi's remake of the late Dutch Director Theo Van Gogh's 2003 film does an excellent job of portraying the humanistic side of celebrities, while questioning the importance and prestige of actors in modern society. Although the premise of the film seems weak and lacks real-world plausibility at first, it succeeds at drawing in the audience and paints a believable portrait of the human psyche via the cinematic world. The claustrophobic roller-coaster of emotions that make up this character driven film take place mainly in a confined, yet luxurious New York City loft. As risky as this limited location may be, the crafty screenplay penned by Buscemi and original writer Theodor Holman combined with knock-out performances from the principal cast push the film forward, leaving nothing to be desired.

The screenplay is nearly flawless; combining a perfect balance of humor, drama, and down-right creepiness at times, while creating deep and well-developed characters that emphasize the idiosyncrasies of life. In an effort to remain true to the original film Buscemi adopted Theo Van Gogh's shooting technique; utilizing three hand-held cameras for synchronous coverage. The effects of this multi-camera cinematography pays off and adds urgency to the piece; maintaining an intimate, yet congested feel that stresses the theme that relationships, no matter how miniscule, are a painful and difficult game. Sharp editing rounds out the film, keenly piecing together the intricate world of new-found relationships; where love is a game and the woman wins.Interview is an agonizing journey through the depths of the communication theory known as social penetration; in which complicated layers of human personality are peeled back over time to reveal the innate vulnerability and personal dementia that plague the human psyche.