Review: A Permanent Grave by Mösdeux

I'm no movie reviewer (I would like to become one, though!), but I'll go ahead and write one up about the movie, A Permanent Grave, produced by Mösdeux. Thanks must go to HOVRS in sponsoring Movie Night at the FAD convention last weekend and exhibiting the movie in its entiriety before a captive (& spellbound!) audience.

First things first; The HOVRS team put up a chintzy setup of two projector screens 'stitched' together in order to create a suitable movie screen that is large enough for the audience to view comfortably. By doing so, the dual projector screens created a slightly noticeable (& distracting) distortion running down the center of the movie.

Moreover, they used a laptop computer and for some reason, (overheating? defective DVD?) the movie got very choppy at the very end, ruining the movie experience. Plus, there was no sound. The HOVRS team didn't make it clear if the DVD had sound, or that the laptop hookup did not have any sound capabilities.

From what I can tell, A Permanent Grave is a high quality production and deserves a rich moviegoing environment, and the Mösdeux team may well be served in carefully screening future venues, in ensuring that the movie viewing experience will be a positive one. Quality viewing issues aside, I enjoyed the movie, and savored the high production values that obviously all went into this movie.

*Spoiler Warning: Do not read any further, if you haven't watched the movie!* Apologies for the length of the review; I wanted to be a little bit more indepth, in order to do the movie justice.

Casting:
Let's start with the cast; I loved the casting of Vae, Amber Stanton, and Joey Baer for their respective roles in the movie. Gotta confess that I really didn't like the casting choice of Howie Seago as the swarmy H.S. Science teacher spinning out of control. Actors/actresses need to 'sell' their roles, and Howie's character getting romantically mixed up with a young Lolita kinda stretches the imagination a little bit. (Still, stranger things have happened, and unfortunately, this kind of thing did indeed happen at a couple of Deaf institutions!) The only saving grace for Howie was that he was nicely cast opposite Vae as the cheating husband.

Technical Stuff:
The movie had multiple camera angles, multiple locations, a wide variety of props, and an obviously dedicated crew covering every minutae of the movie. The end result has a highly professional feel to it; worthy of screening at a movie theater, whether it be IMAX or a small one. I cannot think of another Deaf-produced movie that ever came close to the quality exhibited in this movie.

Plot:
The plot was nicely paced, albeit somewhat confusing initially. The main plot started like five hours before, and progresses throughout the night in question. While the plot was nicely written, it could have been a little bit more 'tight', and with a minimum of loose ends (preferably none!). And there was the unexpected twist at the end, which really put the tragedy into perspective.

For example, there was a story arc about a wayward girl (played by Leila Hanaumi), in which Howie tries to set straight. Howie fails to do so, as the girl's father asserts himself, and this girl is not heard from again, a loose end. Granted, this arc could be more about Howie's increasingly spiral descent into madness, rather than an indictment of sorts on the dysfunctional family dynamics commonly found in such Deaf/hearing familes.

And what was that exchange at the bowling alley between Amber's character and that of the father? (Played by Michael O’Neil) And the 'chase' sequence undertaken by a lecherous young Deaf guy (played by Michael Davis) ending up in attempted (or successful, even) rape of Amber's character? I felt the entire sequence to be superflous; it did not advance Howie's character and his continuing descent into madness, other than to cement his reputation as a creepy character that likes to pick up young Lolitas. It did, however, helped flesh Amber's character to be a tragic individual, setting her upon the self-destructive path that will eventually course through the movie's climax.

And there's the odd sequence of Vae's character's participating in a fund-raiser full of hearing people. It did help flesh Howie's character's continuing impressions about his wife, however mistaken they will eventually turn out to be. Moreover, it helped flesh out Vae's character, borne in a common situation we all can relate to at some point in our Deaf lives.

Conflict:
Which comes to the main plot; Howie's character is increasingly getting estranged from his wife, played by Vae. And vice-versa for Vae's character. Vae's father senses the disconnect and tries to intervene as a hearing father would do, despite his limitations into understanding the Deaf world immersing her daugther. However, Howie's character accidentally kills the father, and sets in motion the irreversible series of events that will take a tragic turn for the worse as the evening progresses.

The plot has a Gift of the Magi feel, where both protagonists have no clue about why they are doing what they are doing, and are acting out under mistaken impressions they have for each other. And Amber's character comes hurtling right into the volatile mix of it all; replete with a cheesy choreographed struggle for the steak knife. The results are predictable, and tragedy ensues. (I wonder if DJ Kurs is an O Henry fan!)

Ending:
The nice thing is that there's an unexpected twist, and thanks to the choppy video at the very end, I really couldn't understand how the ending could have happened. I have a feeling that even if I watched the movie again, from a freshly-minted DVD on a optimal home theater setup, I would still not be able to 'grasp' the ending. It could have been a little bit better written, tying up a major loose end. Still, a nice twist, one that I did not expect at all and saved the entire movie from being a depressing tragedy it could have very well ended up to be.

Final Thoughts:
I would rate this movie to be very good for Deaf audiences; Due to the violent content of the film and suggestive scenes, it is understandably rated 'PG-13'. One thing about the movie is that it contained a good number of references into Deaf Culture, which I feel will not necessarily translate well into mainstream audiences. I would love for Mösdeux to create more films, with content that can be enjoyed by Deaf and mainstream audiences.

For now, you can enjoy the movie by going to the HOVRS website and participating in their Are You Purple? program. It is to my understanding that as a part of the MacOSX Secrets tour, again sponsored by HOVRS, there will be more private screenings of the movie. [Note: I am not affiliated with HOVRS.] Hopefully in the near future, Mösdeux can mass-produce DVD's of the movie, complete with extras, and market it themselves, and even distribute it via traditional outlets like Netflix, etc.

Now, grab that bucket of popcorn, and enjoy the movie!