WHERE TO LAND – Review by Diane Carson
Where to Land delivers pronouncements more than drama
For over 35 years, writer/director Hal Hartley has presented introspective philosophical ideas through conventional men and women. Unfortunately, his two-dimensional characters express their observations directly, without extensive, insightful reflection or challenging complexity. As a result, his films come across more as focused lectures than as irresistible invitations to experiential engagement with an interesting group. Nevertheless, to be fair, addressing recognizable issues, Hartley may still prompt worthwhile post-screening discussions.
Characteristic of Hartley, Where to Land follows the rather subdued, 58-year-old Joe Fulton (Bill Sage), a previous director of well-received romantic comedies. Unexpectedly, Joe first appears in a church graveyard near his Upper West Side apartment. There he asks the current groundskeeper Leonard (Robert John Burke) for a job, no salary expected or promised. Joe explains that he wants to embrace a simpler, more rewarding life, in effect, to care for, cultivate, and manage natural resources. This and his consulting a lawyer (Gia Crovatin) to dictate his Last Will and Testament alarms his attentive niece Veronica (Katelyn Sparks), superhero movie star girlfriend Muriel (Kim Taff, too young for him by two decades), ex-wife Clara (an always great Edie Falco), and even his apartment maintenance man Oliver (Joe Perrino). No suspense adds tension though in offhand moments individuals will pronounce attitudes toward religion, mortality, politics, spirituality, and our acquisitive nature. Music punctuates important pronouncements, while emphatic pauses allow ideas to linger.
In press notes, Hartley, now 65, explains the catalyst for the film was his making his own Last Will and Testament. In press notes, Hartley describes this process as hilarious, so absorbed with deciding the disposition of one’s possessions. Hartley ponders “this idea of conceiving of my life in terms of what I own . . . and what’s to be done with it all when I shove off to points unknown.” Is this the sum total of existence?
Facing a transition into his older years as he cared for his father with, as Hartley describes it, death “within arm’s reach,” Hartley channels his personal concerns into Joe’s reassessing his life, discussing “the simplest, most practical, mundane things.” Intended as farcical interpretations of unwittingly amusing behavior, Hartley connects with a loyal following that can accommodate his lowkey style. Cinematic presentation of often ignored, commonplace details can yield some surprising, productive attention. Another contemporary director who also relies on casual exchanges to address everyday items, South Korean Hong Sang-soo, presents similar, informal scenarios. However, in his films, audiences must pay close attention in order to extract the gems from interaction that feels entirely unrehearsed, merely overheard. In contrast, Harley’s characters will unambiguously identify their views on mid-life crises and property rights. They’ll state, “Ownership is bondage,” and they will critique “Laissez faire capitalism of the soul.” They will directly wonder if we learn more from our success or our failures, without coming to any decision.
For his part, Hong avoids explicit statements of issues, requiring attentive observers to listen carefully to discover important revelations cloaked in the dialogue. Viewers will find their preference for subtlety or lack thereof through these two directors. At best, post-film discussion of Where to Land might lead to a gratifying conversation with friends. Where to Land is screening at film series and select cinemas.
