Dead Languages (Short)
Nickolas Duarte’s films are challenging. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, that’s why I like them so much. He doesn’t make things easy on his audience, whether it’s the emotional rigors of “Sea Change” or “Jay” or the dark humor in “Joke” or the surreal beauty of “What You Need,” and it’s something to admire in the stories he tells. He is uncompromising in his vision, and we can definitely use more of that in movies.
For his latest film, Duarte has two men reconnecting for the first time on a beach. But this isn’t a cheery discussion being had; in fact, you can feel a tension between Raul (Jordi Vilasuso) and Joseph (Clint James) as they talk. You could possibly say that they respect each other more than they like one another, but there’s a resentment in the way they interact with each other that makes it feel unsurprising they went out of each other’s lives. When the talk turns towards Raul’s recently-deceased father, though, what is left is sadness, not just for what was lost, but what he might have left done in life. Other people are on the beach, as well, each representing different times in life.
This is the type of story Duarte does well- two or three people, talking, tension between them, emotions just under the surface- and “Dead Languages” has some fascinating turns on this simple setup as the dialogue unfolds. I’m not sure if I would put it up with his best work, but I love what he does, and this one- beautifully shot at El Matador State Beach in Malibu by Pierluigi Malavasi- is just as compelling to watch as any film he’s ever done, and points to something more at the end that makes you curious what other ideas he has in store. I didn’t feel as though there was anything left unsaid, though; what we see in the closing frames just puts the discussion we’ve heard into a larger context, and one that helps us see why Raul and Joseph are putting everything out there that they are- it may be the last time they see each other. Honesty is the only way to go out, in this case.
