...Around

By Jenny Siddle

Our mission here at JXM is to “champion grassroots independent or burgeoning artists all around the world” with the intention of “bringing unique and variable expressions to the forefront.” So when David Spaltro, recent Directing grad from New York’s School of Visual Arts, gave me the opportunity to watch a screener of his very first feature film, …Around, I jumped at the opportunity.

Before I even pressed play on my DVD player, I already knew I had enormous respect for writer/director/producer David Spaltro. Any man who has the gumption to self-finance his heart-and-soul project with 40 credit cards, over 21 days of shooting, in 190 locations all over New York is an inspiration to us all who dare to dream of filming our own stories, our own way. David Spaltro is an underdog, not unlike Doyle Simms, the protagonist of his film played convincingly by Robert W. Evans.

Whereas most cinematic underdogs rise above enormous odds and miraculously come out on top, Doyle Simms is admittedly “the coyote who falls off a cliff.” Similar to a modern-day Holden Caulfield, Doyle embodies mediocrity because no one ever told him he could do better. Thus, when the 18 year-old gets word that he has been accepted to a prominent New York film school, Doyle figures his two childhood dreams will soon be realized: 1. Moving away from his toxic family in New Jersey, and 2. Becoming a filmmaker. The last “encouraging words” Doyle hears from his ruthless mother before crossing the Hudson River to start his brand new life are “you are going to fail…and don’t try coming back to here either.”

Unfortunately, the echo of his mother’s harsh warning resonates loudly for Doyle in the big city when a residency complication leaves him homeless. Refusing to return to Jersey with an elephant-sized tail between his legs, Doyle sees no other choice but to sleep out of Penn Station. For much of the film, Doyle lives a dual life, part college student and part homeless man.

Almost immediately, Doyle finds himself face-to-face (quite literally) with a street person named Saul (Ron Brice). A lovable, if not cliché, mentor figure, Saul shows Doyle the ropes of living on the streets, despite Doyle’s claims that his living situation is “only temporary.” To over complicate things, in the midst of juggling school, starvation, and a personal financial meltdown, Doyle meets a girl. More than simply a potential love interest for Doyle, Allyson (Molly Ryman) acts as a symbol of everything Doyle perceives to be unattainable in his world. She is smart, beautiful, intelligent, and, much to his underestimation, actually genuine.

The only character I have a hard time liking is Doyle, and it is certainly not due to bad acting. I truly want to sympathize with him more, but while watching his situation unravel I couldn’t shake the old adage in that, “if you don’t love yourself, how is anyone else going to love you?” My apathy towards Doyle perhaps could have been lifted had I been more exposed to his passionate side. Doyle briefly mentions in the beginning narration that he enjoys films, but other than that, we don’t know anything about his passion for filmmaking. If I truly understood why filmmaking is so important to Doyle, I know my heart would ache more for him each time another setback is imposed upon him in New York. Focusing more on the actual school process would have also helped structure the film in the few spots it wavered. There were a couple of moments when I had to remind myself that Doyle actually has a goal (to film his magnum opus) and that he is not simply another aimless drifter under the big city lights.

In many ways, this feels like David Spaltro’s magnum opus, (at least so far). Drawing from his own experiences as a film student, he has so many things to say with this film that it is almost overwhelming to the audience. Numerous themes crossed my mind after watching this, i.e.: the idea of “home” as a concept and not a place, what goes around comes around, you can never be rid of your roots, the adaptability of the human soul when truly tested, that stereotypes only exist if you believe in them, and that no matter what happens, everything will be okay. And this list is not exclusive. It kind of felt as if Spaltro was trying to fit every revelation, every thought, every feeling he had as a student into one film. While I love the fact that this film makes me think, it could have used a little more focus and a few more lighter moments (because the funny scenes truly are funny).

When all is said and done, this film does look great. Some of the locations used, namely both Penn and Grand Central Station, were gorgeous and filmed in such a way that the audience can’t help but feel the same terrified awe that Doyle is experiencing. As content heavy as the dialogue can be, Spaltro proves how visuals can speak louder than words. At times even the camera angles he chose mirror Doyle’s emotion - such as the compressed, suffocating feel when he returns home to visit his mother. When given the constraints under which this film was made (namely the $150 000 budget) it is truly remarkable what the cast and crew of …Around accomplished with this film.

I am certain this won’t be the last we hear of David Spaltro, and I look forward to tagging along on whatever ever journey he chooses to takes us on next.