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Get Low poster

CAST
LUCAS BLACK
ROBERT DUVALL
BILL MURRAY
BILL COBBS
SCOTT COOPER
LORI BETH EDGEMAN
GERALD McRANEY
SISSY SPACEK

STORY BY
CHRIS PROVENZANO
SCOTT SEEKE

SCREENPLAY BY
C. GABY MITCHELL
CHRIS PROVENZANO

PRODUCED BY
DEAN ZANUCK
DAVID GUNDLACH

DIRECTED BY
AARON SCHNEIDER

GENRE
DRAMA
MYSTERY

RATED
AUS: M
UK: NA
USA: PG-13

RUNNING TIME
103 MIN

 

GET LOW (2010)

The mighty Robert Duvall delivers an astounding turn as a man whose soul is burdened by the weight of regret in Get Low.

Redemption is an often used theme in cinema. It crosses over genre and period, always looming and forever influential in bringing out the best (and worst) in thespians, who relish in the drama which the attainment of salvation can bring.

In Get Low, redemption is the main emotional currency, which pays off with its stellar performances. The film opens with a striking precursor: a house is set on fire, its rising flames licking the pitch black sky as a figure suddenly runs past the screen.

Flash forward 40 years later and we are introduced to Felix Bush (Robert Duvall), a hermit who has lived in his self made sanctuary for the majority of his adult life, away from the prying curiosity of a nearby Tennessee town who live in fear from the bearded, shot gun carrying old nutter.

Felix ends his self imposed sanctuary when he travels into town looking for a funeral: His own. See, Felix is dying and he has something to get off his chest, a heavy burden which has haunted his soul and crippled his heart, and he wants everyone to attend his “funeral party” and hear what he has to say.

The only man willing to host this pre-wake is Frank Quinn (Bill Murray), the local funeral home director who is facing bankruptcy. In Felix he finds an opportunity to make big money for what could be the funeral of the decade.

If it all sounds a bit strange and twisted, let the fact that Get Low is loosely based on a true story set your mind at ease. Indeed, back in 1938 a Tennessee hermit by the name of Felix Breazale held his own funeral months before actually passing.

Yet Get Low is no biopic. Here fact is blended with fable, to make for an eccentric folk tale rich in soul and atmosphere. The film is directed by first time features filmmaker Aaron Schneider, and already he has proven to have a great handle on his craft, with the exquisite photography by David Boyd utilised especially well.

It is the performances that make Get Low such a great movie, especially by Bill Murray as the snake oil salesman-esque funeral home owner, and Sissy Spacek who plays Felix’s old flame. The less said about Lucas Black’s wooden turn as Frank Quinn’s business partner and the films moral conscience, the better.   

But this is Robert Duvall’s film, and even at 80 years of age he still turns in top grade performances equal to that in his heyday. The last few years saw Duvall hand in impressive supporting turns in the likes of Crazy Heart and The Road, and he is just as effective front and centre, honing that grizzled, naturalistic charm down to a perfect science. His turn as Felix may be subtle but boy is it powerful, as he slowly strips away the layers of this character’s regret and shame for all to see.

A final scene features a confession with heartbreaking revelations. Duvall plays the words and emotions like a fine tuned instrument, sure to move anyone with a heart. An actor like Duvall is a treasure to watch, and Get Low is his latest gift.

****

 

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