Rolling
As an examination into the world of Ecstacy users, “Rolling” would make an intriguing 80 minute documentary. Unfortunately, it’s closer to 100 minutes long, and takes a page from the Christopher Guest faux-doc style, albeit in a dramatic form. That doesn’t make the film any less interesting to watch- though scripted, it seems to know its’ stuff when it comes to Ecstacy use.
Co-writer/director Billy Samoa Saleebey laces some dark humor into this drama that- in form- owes at least a little bit of a debt to Doug Liman’s “Go,” which also brought forth an assorted cast of characters in Los Angeles. All of the mains in this film, however, have a common thread- they’re all habitual users of “E.” A brief history of the drug is distilled in writing early on, after which, we become familiar with some of the players in the film- most in their 20s, all hard-core users. They don’t necessarily know one another, but they all come together for an orgy of break beats, ecstacy, and connections at an all-night rave, and then end up the night at the house of a doctor’s son (Albert Rothman).
At first, it’s difficult to see exactly what “Rolling” is trying to say about the drug- the users interviewed, including party girls Rain (Sanoe Lake), Summer (Rachel Hardisty), and high school teacher Sarah Willis (Angie Greenup), all seem to enjoy it (except Sarah, who seems- at first- like the lone voice of dissent…possibly because she’ll be seen by a student at said rave). But as the film goes on (and it does go on a bit long- the rave could’ve been cut shorter in my opinion), Saleebey’s hyper-cut and shoot style (and the continuous variety of dance music on the soundtrack) looks less to come down on a particular side of the social issue, but to give a glimpse of the culture itself. It’s a tantalizing trip down an unnerving rabbit hole. I don’t necessarily want to go there; in fact, it’s hard to see why anyone would want to.
The performances are all pretty solid- the characters are your typical archetypes of disillusioned youth (Clinton Cargile as Clinton makes a particularly strong impression, as does Kip Brown as KJ), but they all have a unique story to tell. And the end has some hard truths in store for the characters when death pays them a visit. But the story seems a little all over the place at times. A pure documentary on the subject may have been a little too preachy. By focusing in on users who are familiar with the highs and lows of being users, the film- by remaining a work of fiction (though no doubt inspired by real-life)- can look at things more objectively. That alone makes “Rolling”- named after the phrase used to describe what users do while on the drug- a fascinating study of a modern subculture I have no desire to become a part of, but nonetheless found myself sucked into…at least on the big screen.
