A Slipping Down Life
USA, 1999. Directed and written by Toni Kalem. Starring Lili Taylor, Guy Pearce, John Hawkes (I), Sara Rue. Produced by Richard Raddon.
In English, 111minutes.

A Slipping Down Life is everything but your conventional love story. This improbable romance, born of obsession and self-mutilation, turns out to be a tale of self-discovery and realization, a journey in which life slips by like sand in an hourglass.

Evie Decker (Lili Taylor), a plain, shy young woman living a quiet life with her similarly quiet father, is troubled by the idea that her life is meaningless. Drumstrings Casey (Guy Pearce), a small-time charismatic rock-and-roll singer, is hoping to create a better future for himself through music and cathartic on-stage speeches. Stuck in dead-end jobs in a dead-end town in North Carolina, both struggle to find a meaning to their drab and predictable lives. After hearing Drums on the radio, Evie develops an obsession for him and finally gets his attention when she carves his name on her forehead with a shard of glass. While her extreme behavior fascinates and disturbs Drums, Evie feels liberated. A relationship of dependency develops between them, sustained by her belief in him. This unlikely couple connects only to find out that their paths aren't meant to run parallel. In the end, this journey helps Evie find the strength to finally turn her life around.

A Slipping Down Life, adapted from a novel by Anne Tyler, is Toni Kalem's impressive debut as a director. The movie's strength is that it never takes a turn for the overly sentimental; its overall feeling is sweet and sour. Drama is offset with humor, sadness is counterbalanced by poetry. The director also avoids melodrama by putting an unusual spin on events. In the self-mutilation scene for example, Evie is led outside with blood dripping down her face, as people watch in horror; yet the light and up beat soundtrack contrasts with the violence of her behavior and gives us the feeling that she is taking control of her life. The seriousness of Evie's act of self-mutilation is also toned down by the fact that she mistakenly writes his name backward on her forehead. These idiosyncrasies and unusual perspectives are what make the movie's originality.

The overall pace is slow, allowing the elaborate story line to unfold. The complexity of the characters and the strength of the actors' performances bring further depth to the movie. Although the story centers on Evie's psychotic episode and its repercussions, her character is more complex than that and Lili Taylor's moving performance lends her credibility and dignity. Guy Pearce is also very convincing as a charismatic self-centered singer as well as a devoted husband. The fact that he actually performed the songs himself makes Drums even more realistic.

In a nutshell, A Slipping Down Life is a successful directorial debut and an original movie that tastefully renders a slice of life. It is at the same time witty and sad, poetic and touching, the way life can be.

© Briana Berg, 2000