By skyforbes Edit: I think I've figured out why I'm responding to this material the way I am. Lately I've been watching a number of short videos giving coaching tips about what makes for good and bad acting, and what makes for a good audition. There is a striking similarity between the way Fay Grim's characters deliver their lines, and what is being sold as bad acting based on contemporary guidance!
I'm a big fan of Parker Posey. I know she is one of those performers whose style is idiosyncratic. It's why she turns up in so many peculiar, almost niche roles. When I saw she was the lead in Fay Grim I was instantly excited.
Having watched this, I'm now a little baffled. There's something "off" about the storytelling. Aside from the choice to shoot or display the frames at skewed angles (we used to call it shooting for porn) there's something about the stilted delivery of the lines that seems to be trying to evoke a particular style that isn't typical, but that also doesn't feel new.
It's like the director is trying to evoke film noir, but somehow there's something that feels 80s about the execution.
Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Can anyone shed light on the weird energy this film is conveying?