Rocks & Pebbles & Happiness
The film starts off on an unusual note. A couple is in bed, mostly naked, practicing their moans, which get progressively naughtier and goofier at the same time. Next thing we see, they’re making love. Talk about getting your rocks off…
Then the phone rings, stopping the couple in its’ tracks. Edgar Muniz’s film continues along the same lines, with its’ characters hitting speed bumps in their lives with professional and personal dilemmas taking center stage.
About half an hour in, the film begins to center in on Calvin (Lucas Maldonado) and Jonas (Muniz), the two brothers whose lives have been unraveling for the first part of the film. They’re estranged and don’t get along much at all. But Jonas has come down to visit. They hole up in a hotel room together, and while Calvin goes along with his day as a tudor, Jonas sits around, thinking about his life. His career as a photographer is hitting some road blocks, while his long-time girlfriend has dumped him. But even as Jonas tries to reconnect with Calvin- spark some of that youthful fun back in their relationship- he can’t stop thinking about his ex, even when he’s talking up a coffee girl he’s attracted to. But as things go on, we see Calvin’s life isn’t all its’ cracked up to be.
Admittedly, this was a tough movie to wrap my head around. Muniz doesn’t tell the story in a completely linear fashion and it can throw you off. That’s not necessarily a criticism- more of an observation. The way the writing worked was that Muniz presented his actors with rough outlines for the scenes, allowing the actors to improvise their own dialogue in much the same way British director Mike Leigh (“Secrets & Lies”) works. The result is unpolished but feels completely genuine, which is essential for a film like this to not seem staged.
It’s sometimes difficult to feel anything for Calvin and Jonas. They have very definite worldviews that sometimes can rub a viewer the wrong way (Jonas especially has some harsh words that are hard to hear), and their discussions in general have the tone of brothers who haven’t quite matured out of their adolescence. But being brothers, their animosity can get put aside- however temporarily- for some fun, as when they go on a walk at a place where they used to go when they were kids, and Jonas starts throwing pebbles at Calvin. It’s a moment of happiness that makes the negatives go away, if only for a moment. Same with when Jonas goes out on the town with his brother and his friends.
By film’s end, the brothers are in a more clear place than they were at the outset, and ready to get their lives back on track. And the final shot of Jonas looking out over the Golden Gate bridge has a sense of renewal to it, and a glimpse on how family can sometimes have a profound effect on one another in ways we cannot always express.
Technical qualities like cinematography and sound can’t be taken into account while watching a movie like this, although there were some times when the sound was really rough. What matters is how well it tells the story. Muniz and his actors tell a really good one- smart, well-acted, and engaging, even if it’s a little rough around the edges. But that’s how the film works best. Just like dealing with family- it can be rough, but in the end you’ll always come out better than you started.
