INTERVIEW
At Night, Questions Are Answered, But By Whom?
The Popcorn Reel Movie Review: "Interview"
By Omar P.L. Moore/July 20, 2007
Knowing me, Knowing you? Sienna Miller as Katya, shines a light
and a lens, in Steve Buscemi's "Interview", which opened today in San Francisco
and surrounding Northern California cities, while continuing in New York City
and elsewhere. (Photo: Sony Pictures Classics)
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Steve Buscemi directs one of the three films that the Dutch director Theo Van
Gogh authorized to be remade as American films before his untimely death at the
hands of a murderer a few short years ago. "Interview" is an intimate
piece set in New York City over a period of one night that bleeds into the wee
small hours of the next morning.
Pierre Peders (Buscemi) is a burned out political reporter whose flame is
flickering toward extinction. He has been relegated for this night to
interviewing someone he rather wouldn't: a woman who has a high-profile career
as a horror-film actor. Katya (played by Sienna Miller) is known by all,
and she is at the top of her game. Pierre is missing out on covering
political events in America's capital city. He has thinly-veiled contempt
for his interview subject, whom he has barely prepared for. Katya is
patient, but only because she wants to maintain her image as a darling (Paris
Hilton watch out.) But when the mood shifts from a dimly-lit restaurant to
the film star's loft, all bets are off.
"Interview", which opens today in several Northern California cities while
continuing elsewhere is shot with a hand-held digital camera, giving it a
documentary feel. The film captures the after hours feeling of delirium
and the frustration of having to cover a story when one really would rather be
elsewhere. The acting by Mr. Buscemi and Ms. Miller is low-key, and that's
not a problem -- it fits with the night-time setting, when people are normally
much more mellow and by definition more open and relaxed. The relationship
between interviewer and subject is revealing, full-of twists, turns and
surprises. Pierre and Katya are necessary evils to each other, and they
behave that way -- to a point. Just because a camera is pointed at
someone, doesn't mean that the person pointing always has the upper hand.
Katya and Pierre point the camera at each other on numerous occasions.
"Interview" is rarely dull, and the screenplay written by Mr. Buscemi and David
Schechter's screenplay based on Theodor Holman's original script ensures that.
Good crackling, taut dialogue at times, the kind that David Mamet would be proud
of, rifles through this film, which at times is a satirical and cynical look at
the relationship between the press and their interview subjects.
While "Interview" is not completely new (even prior to Mr. Van Gogh's original
film), it is still refreshing to see the way the interview dynamic plays between
the two characters (and by definition to two characters). There is the
inevitable manipulation that comes with an interview, and Mr. Buscemi's film
makes the most of the mind games that get played out. You can think of
notorious interviewers (the BBC's Jeremy Paxman) or notorious interviews (such
as NBC's Matt Lauer of Tom Cruise, CBS's Dan Rather of former U.S. vice
president George H.W. Bush) but you can't imagine any of them being invited to
spacious lofts and talking about things other than their occupations by their
interviewees.
"Interview" is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of
America for language including sexual references, and some drug use. The
film opened in New York City and Los Angeles last week, and opens today in San
Francisco and other U.S. cities. The film's duration is one hour and 23
minutes.
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