First, Last &
Deposit (Drama)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Program: C
We can admit that few films are being made about the
crisis of homelessness that has been skyrocketing since the 1980s, so much so
that some of the projects are shot on videotape. That is fine for documentaries, but trickier on dramas, which First,
Last & Deposit is. A
13-year-old girl (Jessica White) and her mother get into trouble and find
themselves homeless when her mother is simply not making enough money. They live out of their car, which they are
lucky they have. Many homeless never
even had that.
Though sincere, the Duffy Hecht-produced work from
director/videographer Peter Hyoguchi is a sincere attempt to show this work and
these problems, but it really misses the boat.
Instead of the deeper analysis of the people, society and system needed,
it is just a drama that goes on and on.
It gets muddled and the result is the kind of clichéd work that does not
tell us anything a network TV news magazine has not done much better.
One problem is Hyoguchi’s inane assumption that to
“people” video is “real” and film is a fantasy. Well, it looks like Pete has not been keeping up with current
events. This is a terrible fallacy to
build any project on and a bad excuse to not admit you could not afford film
stock. The formats are irrelevant, the
content of the script is and First, Last & Deposit just does not get
how to deal with its subject, especially since the characters are female and he
is male. I never bought the female
roles, as they are not fully well rounded as they need to be for such a
tale. If you need a drama that fares
better on the subject, The Slums Of Beverly Hills, Jimmy Zip or
even Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore work better. I have seen documentaries by women that have
done better passively on the subject.
Women and children are obviously the fastest growing in the homeless
population, as Hyoguchi’s quote states, but why can he not deal with the men
who leave them? A woman-hating
society? Not enough courage on his
part? Well, it’s too late now.
The full frame videotaped image is adequate, above average
shooting at best, but its form is limited.
The sound is remixed to be Dolby Digital 5.1 AC-3 from the original
stereo-at-best location sound, but just spreads it around ambiently. The only extras are a brief IFC segment and
the trailer. That did not clear up
anything, just confirmed why this did not ultimately work. Sincerity is nice, but the inability to
communicate the issue and dig deep ambitiously sabotages what could have been a
fine work. Better luck next time.
- Nicholas Sheffo
