TAPE
by
Melissa B. Cummings

Director Richard Linklater received much critical acclaim for his film Waking Life in 2001, but he directed another, even smaller movie last year also worthy of praise. Tape is an intriguing, if somewhat contrived, story about jealousy, guilt and denial, that demonstrates how people can manipulate the truth about the past in order to face the future.

Based on a play by Stephen Belber, Tape not only stars Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and Uma Thurman, it stars only Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and Uma Thurman. There are just three characters in the film, and all the action takes place in a single hotel room. Like American Buffalo or The Big Kahuna, this type of three-person-play-into-film is always tricky to make work, as the director must rely so heavily on the actors and the dialogue to create a convincing picture.

Tape starts out with a bit of a stagy, stilted feel, but eventually the actors become the characters and everything flows smoothly. Hawke and Leonard play Vince and John, two best friends from high school who meet up in Lansing, Michigan to attend a film festival where John's first project is going to be shown. In the ten years since graduation, John has finished college and graduate school and is on the brink of becoming a full-fledged filmmaker. Vince, on the other hand, is a career volunteer firefighter who pays his rent by selling drugs to the Oakland fire chief. Upon seeing how little his friend has made of himself, John is critical of Vince's attitude, lifestyle and lack of maturity. But as the two reminisce about events which occurred during the last days of high school, the tables turn, and John becomes the one on the defensive.

The incident in question involves John and Vince's ex-girlfriend Amy (Thurman). Vince is certain that John not only hurt Vince by getting together with Amy, but that he hurt Amy as well, in a much more real and painful way. Although John denies it at first, as Vince presses him, he eventually concedes that his actions were wrong. He even admits that he owes Amy an apology, to say the least. However, when Vince surprises John by announcing that Amy is on her way to the hotel and that he plans to present her with evidence of John's confession, John no longer wants to admit any culpability. The confrontation between Amy, John and Vince plays out in a fascinating way. The men discover that they both have denied aspects of the past in order to placate themselves, and when Amy shows up, their true colors begin to show.

The performances in Tape are quite good, especially Uma Thurman's. Her character is at first awkward and uncomfortable in her situation, but as she becomes aware of what is actually going on, she shows that she can be just as angry and manipulative as the men. Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard are also convincing in their roles. Although the plot has an air of contrivance to it, the film doesn't force its message on the audience. Tape is a thought-provoking movie that makes you ponder what you may be denying in your own life and how you would react if you were confronted with the truth.

©2002 Melissa B. Cummings
CineScene