Krantz!

2 years ago

Krantz!

by Christopher Cantoni

Before we begin, perhaps a bit of a caveat. It is admittedly a bit strange for a film review blog to review one of it’s own contributor’s films. And when I say strange, I mean that on the surface it will immediately appear indulgent and self-serving. Fear not, gentle readers. I have already made my feelings on Chris Cantwell, the writer and director of Krantz! quite clear. An immediate disdain creeps into my voice whenever I must speak of the man who has usurped my name.

But there is one thing I cannot ignore and that is talent.

Krantz! is a short film, only twenty minutes long, so I highly suggest you go watch it right now. Concerned with the failure of a man destined to become mayor who does not, in fact, become mayor, the film follows the titular character and his wife as they prepare for a dinner with his estranged uncle.

A slick and occasionally bizarre comedy, Krantz! looks and feels like a period piece until the main character makes a reference to MySpace. But the cinematography beautifully combines the iconic shadows and light of 1940s cinema with the technological sharpness of today’s HD cameras. If you have ever wondered exactly how to explain cinematography to someone, watch Krantz! and you will know. Vibrant and focused, it is a wonderful example of what cinematographer John Alton called “painting with light.” From the very first shot the film is a powerful homage to the mood and mise-en-scene of the incredible Citizen Kane.

Great cinematography in and of itself is admirable to be sure, but often short films end up as absurd and silly attempts at avant-garde cinema that wind up keeping moviegoers far away from anything referred to as an “arthouse” theater. And here is where Cantwell shows true depth and grace. He manages to weave together satire with truly goofy humor (a rabbit named “cuckoo,” like the clock!), which then seamlessly turns into dark humor. Often times, such an attempt becomes clunky and off-putting (remember The Cable Guy?) - but Krantz! rises above these challenges.

It’s sure to be a bit quirky for some. Despite all the praise I’ve just now lavished on it, I wouldn’t have loved it nearly as much if not for a surprising and endearing tonal shift towards the end. In the midst of ridiculous comedy featuring a dead rabbit, a repetitive wife and a man who wants to kill himself comes a heart-stopping, tear-welling monologue on the importance of family. Suddenly the audience is confronted with a moving explanation that no matter how much fame or power a man can achieve, all we really have is each other, the people who are with us and love us and we love back.

Of course, Uncle Krantz dies a moment later, in the suspenseful conclusion we’ve been expecting all along. And even though the last minute of the film again makes us laugh, as the credits roll I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that a twenty minute film packed more into it than most features can do in two hours.

I didn’t write about Krantz! because I wanted to highlight one of our own (Okay, maybe a little), I wrote about Krantz! because in a few years time when I have scrounged together a good $20 to see Chris Cantwell’s name as his film opens at the local AMC theater, I can gloat that I knew it would happen. And if you watch Krantz!, I think you’ll know too.

Chris Cantoni is an aspiring screenwriter living in Los Angeles. From everything the BWDR editors can ascertain at this time, Christopher Cantwell did not pay Mr. Cantoni to write this review.