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	Dear Wendy
	Thomas Vinterberg Jamie Bell, Bill Pullman, Michael Angarano, Danso Gordon, Novella Nelson, Chris Owen, Alison Pill, Mark Webber 2005		Thomas Vinterberg's "The Celebration" was the first movie to follow the dictates of the Dogme filmmakers' group, organized by a handful of Danish directors including Lars von Trier ("Dancer in the Dark"). Among other things, the Dogme ethos mandated that films were to be shot with all natural lighting and sound. But Dogme creators have ignored the rules on some of their features — such as "Dear Wendy," written by von Trier and directed by Vinterberg. An odd juxtaposition of gritty, claustrophobic setting, stilted dialogue and brow-furrowing teen angst, "Dear Wendy" is a plodding drama about a gang of young losers in a depressed, depressing American mining town. Introspective loner and avowed pacifist Dick (Brit actor Jamie Bell of "Billy Elliot") becomes fixated on a small handgun that he finds at a rundown store managed by fellow misfit Susan (Alison Pill). Dick anthropomorphizes the gun, naming it "Wendy," and convinces a few other youthful, disenfranchised outsiders to procure firearms and join him in a secret club dubbed the Dandies. Pledging to keep their guns hidden and to never harm a living thing, the Dandies name their pieces, adopt colorful garb, take target practice in an abandoned section of the local mine, and find strength in numbers. Of course, loaded weapons invite trouble. Although the cinematography for "Dear Wendy" looks as murky as any naturally-lit Dogme project, it's a deliberate consequence of the dreary setting. The prominent use of songs by the vintage British pop group The Zombies on the soundtrack is a conceit that adds to the film's overly precious nature. With Bill Pullman as the town's platitude-spouting sheriff.


	Wednesday, December 18, 2024





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