Pit Stop: a film of quiet intensity

In Pit Stop, director Yen Tan sets the tone early for a movie that, while providing forward momentum, remains quietly pensive. Just when one wearies of anything ever happening, he begins to reveal the characters and plotlines that ultimately intertwine. The plot moves toward a hoped-for conclusion, but sometimes at a pace one might fairly feel to be plodding.

The scene for the action is small-town Texas, far from the opportunities and possibilities of a metropolitan environment. It is sparsely scripted, simply scored (often with a single guitar as background), and extremely well acted. The talented cast is beautifully directed by Tan, and it is action more than words which drives the movie.

Gabe, played to perfection by Bill Heck, is recently out of a doomed relationship with a married man. He lives with his ex-wife and daughter and, though the family seems functional, they are far from happy.

The second storyline involves handsome Ernesto, acted with significant restraint by Marcus DeAnda. The sadness behind his eyes is revealed to be for his ex-lover Martin, who after leaving him was severely injured in a car wreck, and is now in a coma. It is not the man Martin left Ernesto for who is at his bedside every day, it is the man who (though abandoned) still loves the injured man. Ernesto has tried to move on with another love, but fails because his heart is still taken by Martin.

This movie evokes, and at the same time must struggle against, the quiet. Because the dialog is limited, it must be driven by strong acting and evocative cinematography, and it is. Tan’s direction is what saves this movie, as his script (which he co-wrote with David Lowery) is somewhat lacking in imaginative detail. The sub-plots do serve to move the story forward, but we aren’t given adequate reason to care about those characters whose job is to flesh out the screenplay.

In a mood piece like this film, one has to have their emotions appealed to by that mood. It is a poignantly sad, yet ultimately hopeful movie. Ernesto and Bill, strangers who share unhappiness and heartbreak, might find in each other the hope for something better. Whether they find in each other the answer to their unfulfilled lives is moot. Just finding that they still have the ability to be happy again, to find and know love again, is really all they need. Hopefulness in a time of despair redeems life and renews the spirit.

The director of photography, credited only as ‘Hutch,’ added significantly to the degree of success in the director’s vision of the film. For Tan, he clearly has great strength and ability as a director, but should probably find projects written by more experienced screenwriters.

The film certainly resonates positively on an emotional level, if not as appealingly on an intellectual one. While not a hit, this movie is far from a miss, and one I can say I still enjoyed, despite any weaknesses. There will be some who see themselves in the characters and that is ultimately the success of it. The message of the movie is to live with hope, even in the embrace of despair.

Order Pit Stop today from Wolfe Video, at www.tinyurl.com/mcn6hws.

by Ray Freer, Entertainment Columnist

The Gayly - February 12, 2014 @ 1:15pm