The Depths
Write what you know. That’s the common saying people give to authors and writers. It’s also an interesting tease for Jamison M. LoCascio’s drama to hang its hat on. This is the second feature of his I’ve seen in a matter of weeks after “Sunset,” and in both cases, LoCascio uses high-concept ideas to tell personal stories of people dealing with situations they never really expected themselves to be in. I like this base idea for a filmmaker to explore seemingly normal lives, and “The Depths” is a really strong continuation of that concept.
Ray (Michael Rispoli) and Micky (Patch Darragh) are friends who are trying their hand at screenwriting. Ray is doing all the writing, however, and Micky feels a bit aimless; when we first meet them, he is looking out at the people on the street, and wondering if he actually just meets the same people over and over. They have a pitch for their script the next day Ray has set up with a friend of his that is now a producer. It doesn’t go well. We’ve heard the pitch being rehearsed on the car ride over, and it’s an interesting idea, but the producer has the same advice I laid out in the first paragraph. But while Ray wants to just massage what they’ve already done, Micky starts to get ideas, after they do a ride along with a homicide detective, that leads him to think a whole new approach is required. The resulting friction leads to a break as partners, and Micky starts to spiral downward while getting ideas for the script.
When we first hear the pitch for the script, you can’t help but wonder if LoCascio and his co-writer, Robert Spat, are setting up where the story is going to head. That makes the direction they take it in all that more interesting, with Ray going about his business with his job at the deli while doing further research to try and punch up the script, which needs to be rewritten after Micky makes a mistake that gets Ray’s laptop stolen. Micky, however, lets the thought of starting over after two years of work spiral him out of control, even though it’s his idea to start the script from scratch. Of course, he’s been the less-responsible of the pair even before their rejection; he’s chronically late for work, and with the rent for his apartment. Ray has a temper, which he displays with a woman (Chloe, played by Charlotte Kirk) he cares for, but Micky isn’t completely on the up-and-up with his dealings with people, so both have flaws that will strain their relationships, and friendship, further. Micky gets deep into drugs and the rush of trying to figure out violent lives on a deeper level that includes getting into bed with shady characters. Eventually, he hits a point of no return, and that brings us to a climax that layers on some interesting twists to what we’ve seen before. I don’t expect LoCascio to “know” the subject matter he’s written about in both “Sunset” and “The Depths” in the way we normally consider that phrase, but he knows how to write it in a way that is entertaining, smart, and gripping. These are “movie plots,” through and through, but they are grounded in an honesty about the characters, who they are, and what they do that is authentic and honest for the characters, and makes for compelling drama. “The Depths” takes us to a breaking point, wondering what will come out on the other side. We may not like what we see.
