by Yazmin Ghonaim

FULL FRONTAL Steven Soderbergh (2002) Full Frontal delves into the lives of a group of characters, all of whom are somehow involved with the movie industry. Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich; Traffic; Ocean's 11) and written by Coleman Hough, the film establishes the camera as a voyeur of its own characters: a sometimes realistically and other times unrealistically portrayed group of mostly unlikeable men and women undergoing an identity or "middle-age" crisis. Fired from his work by a magazine editor and close to being abandoned by his dissatisfied and deeply embittered wife Lee (Catherine Keener), Carl (David Hyde Pierce) seems to regain focus in his life when his intoxicated dog needing urgent care seems to awaken his instincts to react quickly and positively. Meanwhile, Lee's sister Linda (Mary McCormack) considers crossing over the boundaries of her work as masseuse with an aroused male client (played by David Duchovny: Return To Me), yet plans to meet her online platonic lover in a different town the following day. In a parallel sequence, Francesca (Julia Roberts: America's Sweethearts) spends time with actor Calvin (Blair Underwood), with whom she conducts informal interviews that teach her of his position as a black artist in a white-dominated Hollywood. Full Frontal's most effective accomplishment is establishing the camera's voyeuristic nature. The camera portrays some imagery abstractly, mainly by shooting some scenes out of focus and/or on grainy film, bringing itself to the attention of the viewer. Often, the camera also tracks back to reveal a "bigger picture", reestablishing its actors as the same subjects of a film within the film. Acting in this manner in several scenes (yet inconsistently throughout the film), the camera reveals several films within the film and aims at tricking viewers and, ultimately, at showing its ability to force viewers to shift their perspective between fictional representations of truths (the initially perceived film) and the staging of fictional representations of truths (the film within the film). What ultimately results from the camera's overall split and unreliable "recording and reporting patterns" is an uncertainty over the narrative validity of a film whose narrator (the camera) hides the true identity of its players and exploits the irresoluteness of their games. In this sense, the viewer may argue that the camera itself seems to suffer from the same identity crisis as its subjects: a crisis that fails to transmit a clear picture of its narrative and visual identity.		DVD Music Books Search by keywords:
Outstanding Features: Some acting Full Frontal Movie Review © 2002 Cinephiles - All rights reserved Photo © 2002 Miramax Films This film is rated R for language and some sexual content. You may find more information on this film at: Landmark Theatres.