BuyCincy is pleased to introduce a new column from Bughouse Video, "Cincinnati’s only independently-owned arthouse video rental store." The crew from Bughouse will be stopping by on a regular basis to give us their picks for new releases, hidden gems, or anything they think you might dig.
You would think that a not-so-great script, sub-par acting, and a budget of $25k would render this film virtually forgotten in the scrap heap of “first films”…but there’s so much more to experience and appreciate in Mala Noche, Gus van Sant’s first feature film. Tim Streeter stars as Walt, a clerk at the local liquor/convenience store in the seedy Old Town section of Portland, Oregon who falls hard for an illegal Mexican immigrant teenager (Johnny).
It’s pretty obvious that the feelings aren’t mutual however (we realize almost immediately that Johnny is a bit more interested in Walt’s sister), but he still manages to string Walt along for a bit. When it becomes clear to Walt that his chances are next to nil he settles for enticing Johnny’s pal Roberto Pepper. There’s sex, despair, poverty, and no clear direction of what will happen next – in which rests Mala Noche’s charm.
There are many wonderful aspects to this film; the contrasting black and white cinematography is so rough and choppy while remaining compellingly beautiful at the same time, it’s an intriguing visual throughout. Mala Noche also gives us a great look into the beginning of a career for Gus van Sant. It’s not as primitive as one might suspect a first feature to be, and you can see clear hints of the budding ideas that would eventually end up in his later films like Drugstore Cowboy and My Own Private Idaho. This is a Criterion Collection release, so as usual there are some great extras provided, including an interview with Gus van Sant.
Mala Noche is available for rental at Bughouse Video in Northside.
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