Tape
Tina and I watched "Tape" last night, an interesting, obscure little movie from '01, with a cast of three and directed by Richard Linklater. It's low-key, as talky as movies get, and simply screams "adapted play," but on the balance I enjoyed it. It asks you to pay attention and draw your own conclusions.


So the central question is this: Did Jon (Robert Sean Leonard, Wilson from "House") rape Amy (Uma Thurman) ten years ago during their senior year of high school? Her then-boyfriend Vince (Ethan Hawke) certainly thinks so and manufactures a confrontation with Jon over it.

The details of that night are never fully revealed; they're not even shown. This movie is two (later three) people, in a motel room, talking in real time. This doesn't make for visually arresting cinema, but what they're saying is interesting enough to carry the movie.

At first, Jon as adamant that no, nothing of the sort happened. He's not proud of a night of drunken sex with his buddy's ex, but rape? C'mon! But as the movie progresses, Vince lays out a compelling case that Jon did something terrible. I was completely convinced that yeah, Jon forced himself on her.

... but then the "victim" shows up, and things get really interesting.

Everything gets turned on its head. Vince, you see, invited her over without letting her know what she was up to, and the movie doesn't flinch from portraying this as the colossal dick move it is. Even if Vince is right, what's this meant to accomplish? She's had ten years to get over what happened, and she's none to happy about being ambushed so those old wounds can be torn open.

And just what are those wounds? They obviously exist; her body language (did I mention the three actors were excellent?) screams that she doesn't want to be in the same room as Jon, but ... why? Like Jon from the earlier part of the movie, she's adamant that it was not rape -- and she's not going to be convinced otherwise.

Is she in denial? Could be. We never do get a full explanation for that night, because neither of the two people involved want to relive it.

But Amy hints at -- and her actions seem to support -- a different interpretation. What if she really did have a crush on Jon? And what if the hurt comes not from physical violation, but from the fact that he never talked to her again after that night? What if he left her feeling emotionally violated -- confused, used, heartbroken?

It'd certainly explain why she's not willing to part with a full recounting of the events. Jon clearly feels like shit by the time he's talking to her, and if she convinces him that he didn't rape her, he's off the hook. His remorse may be misdirected, but it's still intense remorse and she'll settle for it.

Then again, she really could just be in denial.

Either way, the movie ends with her putting those two fuckers in their place for making her emotional trauma about themselves. And it is sweet.

If you're in the mood for something thoughtful, recommended.