As I Lay Dying, 2013.
Directed by James Franco.
Starring James Franco, Danny McBride, Logan Marshall-Green, Ahna O’Reilly and Tim Blake Nelson.
SYNOPSIS:
Based on the 1930 classic by William Faulkner, this is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her family’s quest to honour her wish to be buried in the nearby town of Jefferson.
As I Lay Dying is a difficult one to describe as it’s a mixture of emotions, styles and characterisations that you don’t often find in cinema.
For those who don’t know, As I Lay Dying is the story of a family’s horrendous journey across a small section of America as they try to honour the wishes of a departed family member. The family has to deal with severe injuries, old secrets and an uneasy feeling of hostility as they make passage – and it’s as they travel that we learn more about what drives each of them.
I’ll openly admit that I don’t know the original source material and have never read a Faulkner book in my life – the positive of this is that I can come to watch this without any preconceived ideas as to how it should look and feel; and the negative being that I may be missing out on a lot of the subtext. I’m sorry to say it though: as a film, As I Lay Dying is all over the place.
The main problem you’ll find is that the story is told in a way that does seem better suited to a book than the screen. The use of split-screen cameras to show multiple angles at once and extreme close-ups of the characters forces you to see everything at its most personal. While that may sound like an interesting idea, the lack of ‘personal space’ actually ends up distracting you from the story and ironically doesn’t allow you to get close to the characters.
Another concern with this piece is that the characters onscreen repeatedly break the fourth wall. At very regular intervals, the story will cut to a close-up of a character as they talk to you and tell you their innermost thoughts. This may be used to excellent effect in the novel but in the film, it only serves to remove any connection you may have to the story.
There are other niggling issues with the film but overall you can attribute the main concerns to the writer, director and star James Franco. You can tell that Franco is a fan of the novel and it’s this fact that creates the problems you find; namely that he’s done so well in putting the book on screen that he hasn’t considered how it will appear to the average viewer. Due to his attention to detail, you find yourself sometimes bored and at other times frustrated with what’s on screen when it could have made a much more engaging piece.
As I Lay Dying does have its good points though, the most prominent being the cast. With an eclectic ensemble, every character is fully developed and given their own moment in the spotlight where we can see their inner thoughts as well as their internal conflicts. In all honesty, the actors throughout are the reason I engaged with this piece at all and they should be praised for doing so in spite of some serious issues.
It also has to be said that the tone and Franco’s vision of the setting is quite remarkable. A beautiful contrast of colour and a brooding Southern atmosphere make it a truly impressive film to look at, even if you struggle to enjoy it.
All in all, this is an incredibly haunting tale of a family and their struggles but could have been much more affecting had the direction only been a little more assured and a little less focussed on the source material.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★
Ozzy Armstrong is a Stargate and Rocky superfan. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published October 12, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
