Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Adam Ethan Crow
Starring: Corey Johnson, Gethin Anthony, Tiannah
Harding, Kashif O'Connor, Araloyin Oshunremi
The title of writer/director Adam Ethan Crow's
Warhol is a nod to the pop artist's famous claim that
everyone will enjoy "15 minutes of fame." Expanded from a 2014 short
inspired by the tragic case of Jacintha Saldana, a nurse who took her
life after being manipulated by a pair of radio hosts into putting their
call through to Kate Middleton's maternity ward, the film argues that
our desperation for fame has turned us into narcissists. That may well
be a valid point of view, but the film expresses it in a manner that
comes off like the "get off my lawn" rant of an out of touch old man who
dislikes the modern world simply because it's no longer his own.
The film is split into three narratives which slightly but
insubstantially overlap. The main story is an expansion of Crow's short,
with Corey Johnson playing "Dangerous" Dave Dawson, an American
shock jock who has relocated to London after being taken off the US
airwaves for repeated breaches of broadcasting standards. Much to the
annoyance of his producer Jack (Gethin Anthony), Dave continues
to push the limits of free speech, jeopardising both of their jobs.
Jack's imploring of Dave to turn it down only inspires the shock jock to
behave like a rebellious child, pushing his callers to the limit. This
leads to a fraught scenario involving a teenage caller whose initial
tough talk fades when an intruder seemingly enters his home.
Outside the radio station, three characters are taking part in one of
those "hands on a hardbody" competitions where the person who keeps
their hand on a car the longest wins the vehicle. Among them is a deaf
young woman, Karleen (Tiannah Harding), who is approached over
the course of the night by a couple of people who feel they've been
wronged by her actions. Entering the contest appears to be a last
desperate act of redemption.
In a nearby park we find homeless military veteran Solomon (Kashif O'Connor), who has an encounter with angry young man Nile (Araloyin Oshunremi). The latter has been tasked with killing a random stranger as a gang
initiation, with Solomon imparting his wisdom (yes, it's not the most
subtle character name) in an attempt to dissuade Nile from ruining his
life and ending someone else's.
Warhol is clearly well-intentioned, but after simmering
on the narrative hob for 80 minutes its message boils down to nothing
more insightful than "be nice." That's all very well but it's executed
with the naivete of a church production. This is especially evident in
the Solomon/Nile subplot, which plays exactly like the sort of cheesy
educational drama a teacher or youth pastor might show to a classroom
after spending 20 minutes trying to figure out how to hook up a combo
TV/DVD player. Solomon's dialogue is as one-the-nose as his moniker,
reading like a well-prepared treatise rather than a genuine human
interaction.
Dangerous Dave's dialogue is similarly over-written, though in this
case it can be excused as well-rehearsed lines the host has fallen back
on countless times in his years of being a verbose smartass. Johnson is
by far the best performer in the ensemble, bringing a life to his
character despite how thinly written he might be. It's easy to see how
this subplot might have worked as a short, as there is some tension in
his manipulation of his teenage caller. The addition of a clunky scene
in which a female coworker makes a revelation doesn't do it any favours
though.
The most intriguing subplot in theory if not execution is that
involving the contest. There's a compelling ambiguity to Karleen's
silent interactions with her aggressors, but it's an arc that's
ultimately left unresolved. The film wants us to sympathise with
Karleeen but we're never given any tangible reason why we should do so.
Who's to say those who feel aggrieved by Karleen aren't justified in
their feelings? Making the character deaf does at least prevent this
segment from falling into the trap of verbosity of the other two
plotlines.
Warhol is an odd mix of strong and weak performances, and
of subplots that are either left ambiguous or have their message rammed
down the viewer's throat. Its slick visuals and Johnson's magnetic
performance are its key selling points, but elsewhere it's a rough
around the edges piece of filmmaking of the most annoyingly didactic
kind.
