FILM CHALLENGE: 165) Howl

165) Howl

Director: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Freidman

Year: 2010

Plot Summary: A drama centered on the obscenity trial Allen Ginsberg faced after the publication of his poem Howl.

Allen Ginsburg is one of the most iconic poets of the 1960s and this film, Howl, explores the creation, delivery and feedback of his most controversial work, a poem that the poster aptly states "started a revolution" and "rocked a generation".

The movie switches between five scenes: The court room in which a trial commences in order to determine whether Howl is obscene or not, a mock interview with Ginsberg who explains how the poem came to be, flashbacks of the events he describes in his interview, the reading of the poem and animated sequences which bring the visuals to life. In it's style, therefore, Howl is not unlike I'm Not There, taking a conventional story and approaching it in a unique and unconventional manner. However, the similarities don't end there as this drama suffers from exactly the same issues as Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan picture did too. In the way that I'm Not There will be entirely insufferable to anyone unfamiliar with the singer, if you have no interest in either Ginsberg or poetry in general, Howl is likely to bore you to death.

To tell the truth, even if you are a huge fan of famous poet and his work, there's little about Howl that will grab you either. Firstly, the episodic style of the narrative leaves it almost impossible for you to make an emotional connection with Ginsberg. Secondly, the animated sequences, though fascinating at first, become tedious by the time they're used for the third or fourth time. Thirdly, there's absolutely no character development or narrative development whatsoever. And lastly, the issues that the film-makers explore aren't all that interesting.

The most involving scenes are those in the court and, frankly, they start to become repetitive by the second half of Howl as Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman continue to hammer the same nail that they did for the opening 40 minutes with no developments or tension at all.

It's difficult to totally pan a work that, while not very good, at least tries to be unique in an era when cinema can be so predictable. However, Howl is a frustrating little art-house movie that will leave you cold and empty.

2/5

By Daniel Sarath with 2 comments