I am only vaguely aware of who Greg F. Gifune is. He's considered to be an important contemporary genre writer by many people and I found out while doing research for this review that he's a senior editor for DarkFuse (currently on hiatus), for a publishing company I happen to really like. I also have two books of his on my Kindle, but I haven't read them yet. Now, there are two kind of writers who can achieve Greg F. Gifune's literary status: 1) Excellent networkers with decent writing skills and 2) standout talents. The movie adaptation of his short story Hoax is a slim piece of evidence (it's over before it started), but it hints that Gifune most likely belongs to the latter group.
Hoax is a movie about a conversation in a bar between waitress Maxie (Jessica Etheridge) and a client (Rodney Eastman) It's the most I can say without spoiling because it's ten minutes long or so. There's also a quirky twist it would be too easy to ruin *. The first minute didn't inspire me confidence. There's a bar, cigarette smoke, tacky surf guitar, a first person narration, it had me wondering what kind of celebration of film noir clichés I had signed up to review. Hoax is a movie that requires and ultimately rewards your trust and involvement in its narrative, both with swift execution and a fun ending. It has a swagger and an IQ that that gives it a memorable flavor.
Now, Hoax has two major things going for itself: a solid screenplay that doesn't spill the beans and the work of actor Rodney Eastman. Whenever the movie tries to wrap layers around these two variables, it loses some of its identity. Not disrespect to Jessica Etheridge who's playing Maxie with sass and an adorably pinch of vulnerability, but she doesn't have the interesting part in the movie. The mysterious unease of Eastman's nameless character is what Hoax portrays best. Whenever he delivers his most crucial lines, director Eric Shapiro's close ups shine a terrifying light on Rodney Eastman's gaze. These shots seem like they required a lot of work Eastman looks like a guy being eaten away by a demon in them.
I liked Hoax. It's a simple, straightforward film that highlights the quality of its writing. It also has an odd rewatchability. I've seen it three times in preparation of this review and picked up different things in each viewing. Not sure what the plan is for this film, I know it's supposed to be released on Amazon Instant Video, but I believe it has potential for even bigger things than that. It has the legs for a festival run for sure. Ten minutes of your time is not a terrible sacrifice to make now that you know the film is interesting and uncomplicated. DarkFuse has created an interesting calling card for themselves with Hoax. Don't miss your chance to see it. I should really get cracking on this Gifune guy.
* It might make you wave your arms and yell "OF COURSE", but I honestly didn't see it coming. I did the former AFTER learning the twist.
