It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine. (2007) d. Glover, Crispin Hellion / Brothers, David (USA)
In the second installment of the “It” trilogy, producer/editor/director Crispin "Hellion" Glover returns to the world of the weird with equally frustrating and groundbreaking results. Working this time with a co-director (David Brothers) and from a script by cerebral palsy-afflicted writer Steven C. Stewart, Glover tells the head-shaking story of a handicapped serial killer (Stewart) who seduces his female victims with his disabilities, then
strangles them in the crook of his elbow.
Completely fanciful yet never winking at the audience, the movie slowly unravels off-putting scenarios that are simultaneously grotesque and yet fascinating in their originality – bet you can’t remember the last time you saw cerebral palsy pornography, can you? The bright colors used in the set design and lighting are in direct contrast with the degrading subject matter, as vividly opposed as Stewart’s pale twisted body is with his gorgeous and frequently disrobed female victims. Glover’s decision to have the majority of the dialogue voiced by an actor who cannot be understood due to his affliction is a oft-frustrating one – viewers will find themselves straining to make out anything at all – but it also speaks to his dedication to deal with his subject honestly and without compromise.
In spite of – or perhaps because of – It is Fine!’s more conventional and linear narrative, I was not as transported by it as I was by its predecessor What is it?, but I still recommend it without hesitation to adventurous filmgoers looking for a brave new voice and vision.
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