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Dischord
An alt-rock violinist, Gypsy, runs off on the eve of her world tour, vowing never to play again. She retreats to a home at Cape Cod with her husband Lucian, a famous musician in his own right. But the duo's peace and quiet is disturbed when Lucian's estranged brother Jimmy stops in.
One problem is that director/writer Mark Wilkinson has written a play, not a movie, and is not a very good playwright. Character motivations are not shown through action, but through long-winded monologues that are neither cleverly written nor particularly captivating. Every time Gypsy starts to launch into a story, what little momentum has built up is killed immediately.
Also, Wilkinson drops the ball on several details that most films would manage to get right. For instance, a newspaper headline shown after Gypsy and Lucian head to Cape Cod, has a period at the end. There is never a period to close out a headline. In addition, the continuity is a disaster. In one scene, Gypsy starts telling a story to a beachcomber. When she starts the story, it appears to be late afternoon. When she ends the scene, it is pitch black. While it might have felt to the audience like the monologue was hours long, it really shouldn't have taken that long. Details like that make the film look and feel second rate.
The performances are fine for what they've been given, with Annunziata Gianzero standing out as Gypsy. But all three of the main characters are prone to alternating between mugging and smirking, the poor man's version of "interesting." Gianzero is someone we could see more of at some point, though her recent history seems to only be in Wilkinson films (she's been in his last three, and done nothing else in the meantime).
(NOTE: The disc contains both the "standard" and "director's" cut. The latter is four minutes longer and the version reviewed. Ironically, the "standard" cut is a better film, as the early scene that gives away the entire mystery is omitted. Wilkinson admits on his commentary track that the scene was left in for festivals because he felt the audience did not want the straight thriller. In other words, the difference between the cuts is primarily for demographic reasons.)
The DVD
Video:
The film is clearly presented on DVD at 1.78:1 ratio, even though IMDB claims that Dischord's aspect ratio is 2.35:1. It looks like an indie film; lots of grain, nothing cleaned up for DVD. However, the digital flaws are kept to a minimum.
Audio:
A two-channel audio track gives the dialogue good separation from the score, even if the overall mix is a little soft.
Extras:
The lone extra (aside from a trailer) is a director commentary with Wilkinson. It's a very informative track, though you can see where some of the problems with the film come from; he often sounds more like a director of photography than a director. But he fills the track very well and he seems to very much be an "actor's director," helping to explain how the actors approached the roles.
Final Thoughts:
It's not a family drama. It's not a thriller. It's not very coherent at times. Dischord has some great elements going for it, but not enough to fill a 100-minute feature.
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