Same goes for something that Taormina said to AwardsDaily in early 2019, which seems way too key not to reproduce here: The script was born through that feeling of nervous confrontation to [rituals] and then it bloomed into What happens to those who dont get selected?, he said back then. Depressing and dark. As Henry begins High School, his father, who is experiencing downward inter-generational socioeconomic mobility, makes him go to a private school where he fits in even less amongst all the well-heeled, spoiled rich kids with their flashy, colorful, convertible sports cars and beautiful girlfriends. Researching the creative figures behind Ham on Rye (2020), what stuck out to me was the inevitability of certain voids. Following a nocturnal tour of the now much-less-populated location (in a scene that for me betrays Lund's appreciation . He doesn't repeat a lot of stories in his novels since they all take place at different parts in his life. As a prequel to Bukowski's previous novels, Ham on Rye depicts the origin and development of many of the reoccurring themes of his work as well as the persona of Henry Chinaski. His only love was drink. among other publications, he began writing reviews for our paper earlier this summerthough I first met him long before that, in 2014, when we had a conversation at the Harvard Film Archive regarding the films of director Wojciech J. Jake seems intent on displaying his shaky self-worth. As Lund has written about himself in an indispensable piece for Filmmaker Magazine headlinedOver 100 Cast Members and No Permits: How I Shot Ham on Rye in Los Angeles, the films faceless neighborhood locations were stolen from various spots across that cityso for example Ham on Ryes semi-decontextualized meeting spot Montys is in real life actually Berges, a deli in the La Caada Flintridge area of Los Angeles County. , and what does it give her? How in the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 8:30 a.m. by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so? By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. [1] Scenes outside of Los Angeles show Chinaski as an intruder, as with an early scene where he and his family are chased out of an orange grove. The Review of Contemporary Fiction. Thats suggested from the starta scene at a public park that under another director mightve been rendered chaotic but that under Taorminas eye is cut down into digestible insert shots which seem to archive each action or gesture: a hand trying to spark a cheap lighter, another working to retune a guitar, yet another grasping an ad-perfect glass of lemonade. This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. I doubt if it would be published in modern times (first published in 1982). A bizarre rite of passage at the local deli determines the fate of a generation of teenagers. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Take your time and savor the experience. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Discomfort rises to terror as Louisa meets Jakes parents, played intensely by Toni Collette and David Thewlis. a simple language is used, and bombs go off without much fanfare. This type of description does not venerate or idealize the city, a contrast to other so-called "Los Angeles Novels". Jake disappears and appears. Written in Bukowski's characteristically straightforward prose, the novel tells of his coming-of-age in Los Angeles during the Great Depression. 'Ham on Rye.' | Factory 25 Director Charlie Kaufman ( Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) ratchets up American gothic to psychological horror as he distorts time, place and relationships,. In this case, the transgression is, oddly enough, staying at home with your familyand its definitely not a cool one. Carson Lund's superb cinematography, apparently influenced by photographers like William Eggleston and Stephen Shore, picks out boys riding skateboards, borrowing Dad's Volvo, and talking about the crucial [] Reaktion Books, London, 2012. p. 146. What's immediately delightful about Ham on Rye is the ghostly sense of escalation. Researching the creative figures behind, (2020), what stuck out to me was the inevitability of certain voids. They need to prove something to themselves. But then, ringleader Gwen (Audrey Boos) really has to shit and skips across a lawn to up to a house, and however, the shot is framed and lit, it looks like 70s De Palma, all glowy and romantic with a foretaste of horror. Not at all. This was a book I would rather not have read. This is emphasized by Bukowski's grave being engraved with the words: "Don't try." 16 poolside__convo 2 yr. ago Really enjoyed this take. But in the bazillion short stories and poems and recorded interviews, you do eventually start to hear some of the same stories again. Does Massachusetts Underestimate Its Greenhouse Gas Emissions? The few friends he made he drove away with his hatefulness. Whats established instead are countless signifiers of a semi-contemporary American upbringing: from overarching, stuff like scenes of characters preparing for something like a prom (three girls in frilly dresses being photographed by their overexcited parents, see above), and then carpooling there (the parents now waving at the door like the first day of school, another ceremony) to smaller details seen in briefer shots like the decor of a longhair musicians car (beads on the rear view, bandana on the passenger seat), or a particularly rebellious-looking kid scraping a stick against a fence (which in this context cant help but recall, , ur-text of the American coming-of-age storya narrative lineage that, Its a day were going to remember for the rest of our lives, says the opening dialogue, and the generic phrasing blurs certain lines to build upon the very particular biorhythmic point where Taorminas movie takes place: A kid who says that might be talking about their prom, or about having sex, or about moving out, or maybe even about school graduation, among other possibilitiesbut no matter what, theyre probably talking about something meant to happen in the period that weve come to calling. Charles Bukowski. This interview with the Ham on Rye crew was facilitated by Lund, whose byline you might recognize from DigBoston itself. keys best up at one end of the piano where there was hardly any sound at all-- the sound the keys made was like chips of ice striking against one another. Now, as a memory growing more distant every day, all thats left is the dreamlike impressions of these places Ive loved so much and then abandoned. All the dread and the emptiness is what comes up after the big Montys scene, when day turns to night, and when most of Ham on Ryes first-half cast disappears from the picture. He achieves a number of other startling effects in this impressive movie, which sheds its naturalism slowly as it embraces a surrealism thats both disquieting and poignant. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Ham on Rye Review: Coming of Age, With Existential Unease, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/movies/ham-on-rye-review.html, From left, Haley Bodell, Gabriella Herrera and Audrey Boos in Ham on Rye.. Haley (Haley Bodell), the closest the film has to a protagonist, flees the deli ceremony, casting herself off as Amy Irving's character was cast off in Carrie. Ham on Rye 's second half is informed with a kind of survivor's guilt that's also reminiscent of Carrie. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Twayne Publishers, New York, 1997. p. 36, 42, 43. It's not PC, perhaps that's part of its appeal. Though of course Taormina can pull the episodes whenever he wants, or Youtube or Vimeo could take them down for any reason including none whatsoever, and then theyd be left to a small handful of hard drives, at most, where a random crash might erase them on any given sunday. Movie Info. The destination of the walking kids is, well, a delicatessen, and this is where the films similarities to coming-of-age movies like Dazed and Confused ends. Its roots go that far down, and spread that far wide under the strange earth of the American suburb. 1985. On the spectacularly well-chosen soundtrack, sixties bubblegum pop sits alongside electronic drones and the inspired reclamation of German New Age flautist Deuters shimmery, folk-horror melodies. This deliberately coy prologue begets the opening credits sequence (introducing characters with more close-ups of little details, like a tie being fastened or a nail being painted), which then feeds directly into the films real first section, where for about 20 minutes small cliques of seemingly high school-aged kids walk through various neighborhoods on their way to an unspoken happening. Ham on Rye opened at the Brattle Theatres Virtual Cinema on October 23, where it remains available to rent now. Were not told when the film is taking place, or where the film is taking place, or even whats the deal with this big local event all the kids are moving towards. As Chinaski progresses through grammar school, the focus of Henry's attention is on sports, violence, and girls. Like a spectre left haunting the grounds after her fellows have moved on, the Haley character spends the second half of. So to both make and spruce up the required disclosure, let me say that I not only consider Carson Lund a close friend, but that I also consider myself a dedicated fanof. The novel focuses on the protagonist, Henry Chinaski, between the years of 1920 and 1941. And then, also being from the suburbs myself, youre dealing with these signifiers that are very familiar to me. 0:00 / 1:45 Ham on Rye Theatrical Trailer Factory 25 618 subscribers Subscribe 247 Share 33K views 2 years ago "Ham on Rye has the uncanny echo of a disturbing real-life dream. 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Ham on Rye. Well come to identify most with Haley (Haley Bodell), a mild-mannered girl who, like her two friends (Audrey Boos and Gabriella Herrara), is more dressed for a conventional school dance than most attendees. Twayne Publishers, New York, 1997. p. 40, 41. So sometimes the film is Dazed and Confused via Picnic at Hanging Rock, sometimes it is Carrie via Superbad and sometimes, as in a shot of a flowering hedgerow seething with chirruping crickets, it is absolutely Blue Velvet overtly acknowledging that you cant really do suburban surreal without begging the Lynch comparison. Like his previous works, Ham on Rye is set in Los Angeles where the author grew up. So now when I read. Like for instance, one boy carries around this strange pig toywhich of course aligns with the films title as well as with another scene where someone refers to porking [as] the ultimate purposethat eventually lands in the hands of an older character, who discards it with some disgust. My mother smiled. Tyler Taorminas debut film starts in the vein of classic high-school comedies until it turns toward a dark surrealism. The vista of the road was super important, or houses that were pushed far back from the curb, said Taormina. Henry agrees to teach little kid how to play a game and by the end of it he just walks out. Throughout the course of the novel, Bukowski develops his misanthropic anti-hero character that is seen in his other works like Post Office and Hollywood. [3] It begins with Chinaski's early memories. Original Language: English. This deliberately coy prologue begets the opening credits sequence (introducing characters with more close-ups of little details, like a tie being fastened or a nail being painted), which then feeds directly into the films real first section, where for about 20 minutes small cliques of seemingly high school-aged kids walk through various neighborhoods on their way to an unspoken happening thats eventually revealed to be a literal ceremony at the center of Taorminas debut feature. Like a hoagie sandwich filled with meat and lettuce, thats a quintessential American suburban item.. The film premieres at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival this week, and the official site is here. READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021. I trust that I am in honest company when I confide this, but still I am tentative to say it. Increasingly fearful Louisa insists on returning to her own apartment. Then tables are cleared, and a kind of free-form movement begins, with awkward teens trying out idiosyncratic dances. Ham on Rye is a 1982 semi-autobiographical novel by American author and poet Charles Bukowski. thats eventually revealed to be a literal ceremony at the center of Taorminas debut feature. His life never became better. 7. Press J to jump to the feed. Running time: 1 hour 25 minutes. And then, also being from the suburbs myself, youre dealing with these signifiers that are very familiar to me. has successfully conjured up a cinematic space where all those aforementioned experiences have been quite purposefully blended together, forming a sunlit anxiety dream of a generic suburban upbringing. Ham on rye ending explained - international conference on. Ham on Rye is not obviously political, but it is also deeply political, pointing out, in lazy, absurdist, carelessly clever frames a deep-set American wrongness that was quietly murmuring away long before the current blowhard moment, and that will continue long after. In the beginning, and just for a little while, Tyler Taorminas Ham on Rye seems like every other no-budget suburban coming-of-ager youve ever seen, if maybe better shot. Carson Lunds superb cinematography, apparently influenced by photographers like William Eggleston and Stephen Shore, picks out boys riding skateboards, borrowing Dads Volvo, and talking about the crucial importance of boning, like its a philosophy, like theyre the first ones ever to have had so original a thought. I think in the first half the film is trying to make that same impression for the viewer a little bitall of this excess, all of this gravity thats applied to the mundane but ends up meaning so much [later on] that attention to the details of mise en scne was part of what made me interested in working on it. We talked about pointillism too, said Lund during the call. Fontana, Ernest. Cast: Haley Bodell, Audrey Boos, Gabriella Herrara, Luke Darga, Sam Hernandez, Blake Borders, Cole Devine Whether his thoughts are good/bad, right or wrong, he said them! Like a spectre left haunting the grounds after her fellows have moved on, the Haley character spends the second half of Ham on Rye in emptied-out spaces like bedrooms and street curbs, completing the articulation of a metatextual idea first initiated by those kids-television cameosthe image of the child stars left behind. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. Girls primp their frou-frou dresses and exchange back-spinning compliments according to arcane queen bee hierarchies, before posing on stairways as parents twitter and coo at them with cameras. special is how dutifully it avoids the lack of depth that usually accompanies utilizing deliberately generic settings. He has only slightly better results in baseball. Its also about the inherent strangeness of rituals like the prom, though the prom is not whats about to unfold here, and few participants seem to think its very strange. Image from Ham on Rye, courtesy Factory 25. This study guide consists of approx. The second half is darker and lonelier, following those left behind, especially Haley (Haley Bodell), who ran from the diner when her humiliation became too great and is now, like all her fellow rejects, apparently condemned never to escape this world of duck ponds, wisteria-draped driveways, and doorbells that are never answered. On the side note, I relate liked the book as I could easily emphasize with Henty moat of the time, but I still cannot understand the last part! In the beginning, and just for a little while, Tyler Taormina's "Ham on Rye" seems like every other no-budget suburban coming-of-ager you've ever seen, if maybe better shot. Production companies: Tago Clearing Film Studio, Omnes Films Same goes for something that Taormina said to, in early 2019, which seems way too key not to reproduce here: The script was born through that feeling of nervous confrontation to [rituals] and then it bloomed into What happens to those who dont get selected?,, Yet by placing its emphasis on the shared cultural detritus of American teenagerdom, like all those tokens of first cars and first kisses seen in the loving insert shots that dominate the first halfrather than underlining its more specific themes or subtexts (which Broyles, Lund, and Taormina say were pared back even further than expected during editing), reaches a very interior place: an evocation of an experience, or maybe even just a feeling, rather than a, Transgression becomes even more unfathomable when an entire global generation seems to share the same path in gentrifying the cities, Taormina, (also suggesting one of his films many productive contradictionsthat its a lament for the loss of a suburban experience produced almost exclusively in urban spaces). 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