Simple Men (1992)

☆ ☆ ☆

Simple Men (1992) – H. Hartley

I don’t think I saw too many of Hal Hartley’s films back in the day (Amateur, 1994, I think, and maybe Henry Fool, 1997) – but they definitely bring me back to that time and place when Indie American films were making their mark.  Whit Stillman is similar I think, in writing dialogue-heavy films that feel artificial in that scripted dramatic way that somehow works for this genre.  Here, Hartley gives us two brothers who are seeking their anarchist (and former all-star shortstop) father who has escaped from custody and is in hiding on Long Island.  One brother (Bill Sage) is a college student (studying philosophy) and the other is a criminal (Robert John Burke) who was recently involved in a heist where he was double-crossed by his girlfriend.  Along the way, they meet two intriguing women (Karen Sillas and Elina Löwensohn), intriguing enough that the brothers sort of stay put at their house/bungalow.  So, it’s lucky that they find their dad anyway.  I didn’t really catch the main themes while watching the film but I enjoyed the emphatic dialogue, the early 90s fashion, the soundtrack by Yo La Tengo (tracks from May I Sing With Me), and a great dance sequence to Sonic Youth’s Kool Thing that really changes the mood/plot direction of the film.  Later, I watched an interview with Hartley where he states that he was focused on men and their identities in this film and I guess I see it now, that the criminal is stuck in a misguided tough guy persona that he needs to shake off to have a real relationship, he needs to be vulnerable.  Of course, there’s an ironic ending but it works.