 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
STRIPPED AWAY
Produced by Johnathan Block
Written, Directed, and Edited by Garrett GilchristHank - Richard T. Havens
Emily - Cori Haisler
Daniel - Marcus PhillipsSTRIPPED AWAY is Garrett Gilcrist's best movie... that I've seen. After the long-winded EXCALIBURGER, I didn't picture him this sensitive or this ambitious a moviemaker. Where EXCALIBURGER was good-natured fun, it's ultimately a disposable piece of light satire with two-dimensional characters. STRIPPED AWAY is Garrett's attempt at shaping that third dimension and crafting a character who lives and breathes. At one-fifth the running time of EXCALIBURGER, Gilcrist makes a movie infinitely more satisfying.
STRIPPED AWAY is a visual essay detailing the final moments in the life a of cartoonist, Hank, who will be remembered as the man who created the daily strip LUCKY XENON. In that state of limbo between this Earthly plain and the afterlife, Hank fights to remain and finish his decades-old sci-fi epic. He wants to give a sense of resolution to the only lasting relationship he's ever had. By doing so is his way of owning up to his faults as a man and a father.
Ushering Hank to the next life by walking him through his past is Emily, played by Cori Haisler, who might be the closest thing to an honest to goodness angel that I've seen on this plain. Every movement elegant, every word soothing, she plays her role like as teacher whose introspective questions provoke self-realization as opposed to peaceful acceptance. She doesn't want Hank to simply believe it's his time, but wants him to understand that the time is right.
With the exception of his son, Daniel, all the memories of those who have come and gone in Hank's life are represented through cartoon likeness. Perhaps that's Gilchirst's way of representing Hank's angst. Through his work is how Hank deals with his mistakes in life, giving self-satisfying resolutions to his failures. Not only does Gilchrist do all Hank's artwork himself, much of it he animates. As a filmmaker, Gilchrist has gone that extra step and given life to where there usually would be none to find.
The events referenced in STRIPPED AWAY might be a little too sentimental for some. The final moments even play like a condensed version of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but that's not something I minded. For what it's worth, I like Frank Capra's masterpiece; it too was criticized for being overly mushy in it's day, but look at it now. There's nothing wrong with sentimentality, it's merely showing a fondness for something we love. I doubt STRIPPED AWAY will be remembered by the masses 50 years from now, but fans of Gilchrist should take note of this important turning point in his career. Of the few movies of his that I've seen, this is where Gilcrist becomes a true moviemaker and not just an enthusiastic hobbyist.