There's a deadly serpentine sting in "Cleopatra's Second Husband", an icy, finely chipped drama that played recently in the competition category at the Hamptons International Film Festival at East Hampton, N.Y.
Stirred with delicious doses of deadpan irony and deliberate malevolence, "Cleopatra's Second Husband"'s most appreciative audience, other than the brassy oldsters in the audience here, would be at film festivals that cater to the young and the subversive -- Sundance, etc. -- and cable channels whose subscribers like their fare served bent and parched.
In this modern-day relationship story, Robert (Paul Hipp) and his whiny wife Halle (Bitty Schram) are an affluent married couple who are trying to have a child. Unfortunately, the necessary methodical approach turns Robert off, and their perfunctory, goal-oriented lovemaking soon disintegrates into mutual uninterest. What's a have-it-all pair to do?
Take a month in the country, perhaps, to reinvigorate the old juices. Their trendy friends suggest a pretty pair of house-sitters, specifically a delicious duo named Zack (Boyd Kestner) and Sophie (Radha Mitchell), who do not suffer from the married pair's affliction of sex gone stale.
Not surprisingly, a change of scenery fails to stimulate Robert's diminished libido. It only sparks his primary interest, photography. Now Robert's not one of those cheery nature shooters, but he does have a keen eye for the cycles of life -- he photographs road kill and insects, etc. This annoys and further agitates his spouse, especially when Robert suggests returning home early to work on a free-lance photography assignment. It is, after all, his passion, inherited money and clamorous wife that afford him the opportunity and the determination to bury himself with his dead-animal shots.
Counterpointing the marrieds' listless sex with the house-sitters' steamy lovemaking, screenwriter-director Jon Reiss precisely and perceptively documents the mechanical ennui of a joyless marriage. Stroking it with a man-on-man competition for the affections of the libidinous Sophie, Reiss' depiction is both searing and cold.
The dark scenario is not only flecked with the abrasions of everyday closeness but garnished with decadent pangs and cruelties. It's a tale in which the real drama lies just below the surface, and when the civilities break, things get deadly. The imagery and pessimism recalls, in its darkest invasions, Bunuel -- the horrible, entomological associations.
Hipp is strong as the pusillanimous and wimpy husband-photographer, while Schram is aptly annoying as his shrill and insensitive wife. As the lusty lovers, Kestner and Mitchell steam up the screen.
Technical contributions are well-realized, aptly frosty and needling. In particular, Matt Faw's skewed compositions clue us to the inner rages and suppressions of the respective characters.
CLEOPATRA'S SECOND HUSBAND
Credits: Producers: Jill Goldman, David Scott Rubin, Jacqui de la Fontaine, Jon Reiss; Screenwriter-director: Jon Reiss; Director of photography: Matt Faw; Editor: Toby Yates; Music: Cary Berger; Cast: Robert: Paul Hipp; Zack: Boyd Kestner; Sophie: Radha Mitchell; Halle: Bitty Schram. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 93 minutes.
Stirred with delicious doses of deadpan irony and deliberate malevolence, "Cleopatra's Second Husband"'s most appreciative audience, other than the brassy oldsters in the audience here, would be at film festivals that cater to the young and the subversive -- Sundance, etc. -- and cable channels whose subscribers like their fare served bent and parched.
In this modern-day relationship story, Robert (Paul Hipp) and his whiny wife Halle (Bitty Schram) are an affluent married couple who are trying to have a child. Unfortunately, the necessary methodical approach turns Robert off, and their perfunctory, goal-oriented lovemaking soon disintegrates into mutual uninterest. What's a have-it-all pair to do?
Take a month in the country, perhaps, to reinvigorate the old juices. Their trendy friends suggest a pretty pair of house-sitters, specifically a delicious duo named Zack (Boyd Kestner) and Sophie (Radha Mitchell), who do not suffer from the married pair's affliction of sex gone stale.
Not surprisingly, a change of scenery fails to stimulate Robert's diminished libido. It only sparks his primary interest, photography. Now Robert's not one of those cheery nature shooters, but he does have a keen eye for the cycles of life -- he photographs road kill and insects, etc. This annoys and further agitates his spouse, especially when Robert suggests returning home early to work on a free-lance photography assignment. It is, after all, his passion, inherited money and clamorous wife that afford him the opportunity and the determination to bury himself with his dead-animal shots.
Counterpointing the marrieds' listless sex with the house-sitters' steamy lovemaking, screenwriter-director Jon Reiss precisely and perceptively documents the mechanical ennui of a joyless marriage. Stroking it with a man-on-man competition for the affections of the libidinous Sophie, Reiss' depiction is both searing and cold.
The dark scenario is not only flecked with the abrasions of everyday closeness but garnished with decadent pangs and cruelties. It's a tale in which the real drama lies just below the surface, and when the civilities break, things get deadly. The imagery and pessimism recalls, in its darkest invasions, Bunuel -- the horrible, entomological associations.
Hipp is strong as the pusillanimous and wimpy husband-photographer, while Schram is aptly annoying as his shrill and insensitive wife. As the lusty lovers, Kestner and Mitchell steam up the screen.
Technical contributions are well-realized, aptly frosty and needling. In particular, Matt Faw's skewed compositions clue us to the inner rages and suppressions of the respective characters.
CLEOPATRA'S SECOND HUSBAND
Credits: Producers: Jill Goldman, David Scott Rubin, Jacqui de la Fontaine, Jon Reiss; Screenwriter-director: Jon Reiss; Director of photography: Matt Faw; Editor: Toby Yates; Music: Cary Berger; Cast: Robert: Paul Hipp; Zack: Boyd Kestner; Sophie: Radha Mitchell; Halle: Bitty Schram. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 93 minutes.
- 11/3/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.