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DEADLY MEMORIES
Produced by Phillip Newman
Directed by Donald Farmer
Written by Donald Farmer and Phillip Newman
Edited by David Schwab
Director of Photography - Brett PiperArt Gary - Phillip Newman
Sheriff Taggart - William Smith
Market Owner - Robert Z'Dar
Billy Ray - L.P. Brown III
Amy - Rachael Robbins
Hailey - Tina KrauseIn past efforts, Donald Farmer has chronicled the dregs of society. His characters are often remorseless and self-serving. In the end, they find neither retribution or fulfillment, only a temporary respit while waiting for the next misery. DEADLY MEMORIES is a departure from the typical Farmer feature. Rather than documenting Hell on Earth, Farmer captures an angel's fall from grace. DEADLY MEMORIES is a movie recounting how pain and suffering can lead a pure soul down the dark road of corruption.
Farmer is a filmmaker based out of Tennessee, an area not exactly known for it's filmmaking. Of the handful of Farmer projects I've reviewed, this is the only one I've seen set in his backyard. Filled with local color, the film has a layer of authenticity not found in Farmer's other projects. The end result feels more personal and sincere. Almost as if his series of film's with Danny Fendley were a perverse fluke.
DEADLY MEMORIES opens with mechanic Art Gary on the way to church with his family. His car is run off the road by a group of out-of-towners and his wife dies in the accident. Also in the car was Art's daughter who will end up spending her next few years in a coma. Art spends that time trying to rebuild his life and provide for his daughter's healthcare the best he can. He's a loving father who only wants to do what's right.
The events of the first 30 minutes detail a tragic story. Farmer tells the events up to this point in a sympathetic tone, something else foreign to his trademark saccharine style. Art doesn't deserve the cruel twist of fate he's been given, but Farmer never paints Art to be a martyr. Art's a man of God and a pillar of strength. But Art is just a man, and man is fallible. When the temptation of revenge is presented, Art isn't as strong as he thinks he is.
The film takes a dramatic shift in tone at about the 30 minute mark. It's easy to spot the exact instant things change, Tina Krause gets naked for a long and leering shower scene. This moment of pure cinematic exploitation marks the exact spot where DEADLY MEMORIES becomes run-of-the-mill and standard. Gone from the rest of the movie is that sympathetic tone of the first third. It's replaced by the Farmer style of old where even good men can be downright bad.
Even the acting changes. What started off as relaxed and natural performances from many standout southern actors soon changes into instances of missed cues and off-timing. It's as if there were two different movies Farmer was trying to merge into one. Either that or he became too rushed to care. Either way, the effect pulls away from the climax's impact.
This is all a real shame, DEADLY MEMORIES starts out as Donald Farmer's finest directorial hour. It could have marked a new direction in his filmmaking career. As I become more and more a fan of his work, I really don't want to see him leave his cynical world view behind, but I really want to see him grow as a director and craftsman. DEADLY MEMORIES is a missed opportunity that could have been great.