Review of film: "KALAMITY" (about young men with bad relationship problems)

Review of film:  “KALAMITY”

…  I attended an advance screening of this “Indie” film at the venerable Music Box theater in Chicago.  In a postcard type “flyer” handed out there before the showing, it quotes various press reviews about it from New York and national publications, using comments such as:  “An Externalized emotional landscape” & “Psycho-Noir” (= New York Press);  “Stylishly Directed” (= NYC Movie Guru);  “Perverse” (= Variety);  & “Belligerant” (= The Onion A.V. Club)…

…  Others included:  “Psychopathic volatility” & “Menacing hostility” (= Box Office Magazine);  “Volatile anger” ( = The Hollywood Reporter);  and “An emotionally unflinching portrait of insecure young men.” ( = Stephen Holden of the NY Times)…  The “Tag-line” for the film is “What’s tearing you up inside?”…

…  Do these comments really “FIT” the movie?...  I hope to give you a little idea about that in the “Review” below, & in my “ADDITIONAL” comments relating a post-screening TALK held with the writer – director – editor, JAMES M. HAUSLER…

…  As the film starts out, Billy Klepack (NICK STAHL) returns home after an upsetting breakup with his girlfriend Alice (BEAU GARRETT)…  He’s warmly greeted & “encouraged” by his father Tom (ROBERT FORSTER), mother Terry (PATRICIA KALEMBER), & much younger sister Barbie (SAMMI HANRATTY)…

…  One of Nick’s first stops is to see his best friend Stanley Keller (JONATHAN JACKSON), who works at a place that installs car audio systems and the like.  Jon has clearly heard of the breakup, and expresses a bunch of very ANTI-WOMEN comments to Nick…

…  While some of that might be construed as “supportive”, it seems a bit “OFF” emotion-wise:  Jon seems even angrier than Nick himself is about the girlfriend--  to the point that, Jon’s virtually a “POSTER boy” for MISOGYNY…  Nick is a bit indefinite in talking about his “situation” with Beau…

…  The more the story goes along, the STRANGER Jon’s actions and attitudes seem to be…  He easily gets extremely ANGRY for little reason, especially when he sees a mutual friend named Christian Phillips (CHRISTOPHER M. CLARK) talking to Nick about him…

…  Nick himself has a bunch of problems & clearly “unresolved” issues, in that he keeps picturing himself TALKING to his ex-girlfriend when she’s not really there…  Periodically, things get “confused”, because the film flips BACK & FORTH in time--  so, sometimes we’re seeing the “past” elements of their relationship, sometimes he’s “currently” phoning her, & sometimes, he’s just “IMAGINING” things…

…  But, as “perplexed” as Nick is at times, Jon is clearly in much WORSE shape--  seldom being calm, often getting “agitated” over “nothing” situations, & obviously suffering from PAINS in his brain area…  There’s just “TOO MUCH” anger & violence “swirling around” inside him!... 

…  Jon is visibly bitter over problems with his OWN girlfriend, Ashley (ALONA TAL), & we see a disturbing scene of his “STALKING” her, followed by a scene of his being bloodied (which was not a “good” sign in any way)!...  At one point, Jon heatedly threatens Chris & even ATTACKS him physically…

…  Nick & Chris are concerned about the sudden reported disappearance of pretty-but-acerbic Alona (who doesn’t like taking “bs” from anyone)…  But, when Jon goes out of town, after the two friends BREAK INTO his place & find some “incriminating” evidence against Jon, they do NOTHING of consequence-- & in fact HURT the possible prevention of further problems…

…  Rather than contact the AUTHORITIES about what they’ve found (since it’s reported on TV that the police are “searching” for info about Alona, who the guys supposedly “care” about), they go off on their OWN to try to FIND Alona… 

…  When Nick & Chris find something of vital importance during their search, they again “take” what I call “STUPID PILLS” & once more are SILENT about what they find (--  more about that later, in my report on talking to the Director!)…

…  Why has Jon LIED about where he’s going on his trip out of town?...  What critical action is he contemplating about ANOTHER major character in the story?...  Will Chris & Nick “CATCH-ON” to things “in-time” to create a worthwhile ‘response”?...

…  The CONCEPTS behind the story are interesting in themselves--  young men having difficulties with relationships & how they handle their own lives…  But, a bunch of the actions & attitudes shown by Nick & Chris are so damn STUPID, they literally INJURE the film by destroying the believability of the characters…

…  The problem appears to be inherently with the WRITING, rather than in the acting (which seems good by Nick & Jon in that they’re properly “playing” their characters;  it was hard to tell if Chris was overly “weak” & “stiff” because of how his role was written)…

…  In any case, the good “powerful” elements are so impaired by the as-written foolishness of the mind-sets of Nick & Chris (& the destructiveness of Jon), the movie devolves into a sad WASTE of the characters (both figuratively & literally in the “what’s going to HAPPEN now?!” vague end concerning Nick)… 

…  Thus, I reluctantly must grade this film at like 6.25 stars out of 10 (with it’s being above 5 only because the actors are obviously trying hard with the roles they’ve been given)…